Dark Side of Tomorrow
by dsfeo78
Summary: Sequel to "Discovery". A Rizzles wedding is coming but will our ladies make it down the aisle amidst a growing danger for one of them?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N So this is the sequel to the sequel…but I guess I should just now call it a trilogy. For I was told to do two is to really commit to three. So here it is. Weather-interruptus has given me a chance to start this early as Mother Nature is messing with my vacation pretty hard right now. **

**Standard warnings: **

**1- You may need to read "At a Distance" and "Discovery" to fully follow some of what is assumed in this story which starts immediately following the end of "Discovery"**

**2- Embrace my love of sentence fragments- that isn't going to get any better on the third try **

**3- Since I put both these wonderful characters through a lot in the first two stories…I'll try to let them enjoy themselves some throughout this one and I believe in happy endings. But if you have read my first two stories….you know my love of cliffhangers and quite frankly life is more entertaining with at least a little bit of drama. (But I commit to daily new postings again so that should buy me some forgiveness again- right?)**

**Disclaimer: I checked and I still don't own the characters I have come to love. So just let a girl have some fun and don't take anything too seriously.**

Chapter 1

A vibrating phone was what pulled Dr Maura Isles out a pleasant sleep. She vaguely heard the sound of a shower running and pieced together her girlfriend Detective Jane Rizzoli was already up getting ready. The only question was whether it was her phone buzzing or Jane's. She reached over and discovered that it was in fact hers. And it was her mother. She also smiled widely at the sight of the engagement ring that as of last night had found its way onto her finger. She was going to have to get used to calling Jane her fiancé.

"Good morning Mother," greeted Maura.

"So?" asked Constance with just a hint of delight in her voice.

"So…..what?" was Maura's confused comment. Had they been in the middle of a conversation that she wasn't aware of?

"So, how does it look on your finger?"

Maura paused. Instinctively she glanced at the diamond on her left hand. How? She knew? "How…..how would you know there was something new on my finger?"

Constance only chuckled. "Sweetheart, your future wife is quite the traditionalist."

Puzzled Maura only got out, "Huh?"

_Constance had stepped outside to get a little fresh air. The atmosphere of the house had been pleasant and she found the entire Rizzoli family both warm and welcoming. But she wasn't quite like them, yet. They were a little loud and sometimes she just liked the quiet. No sooner had that thought crossed her mind did she hear the side door sliding open._

"_We can get a bit overwhelming, can't we?" Jane had offered up._

"_Not really. You are all just a close knit family," Constance offered with a sincere smile. _

"_We are your family too, you know. I'm not so sure you want that but we are none the less."_

_The sincerity from which Jane had offered that up melted Constance's heart. She knew Jane loved Maura but it was clear that Jane had genuinely accepted her into her life and considered her family. "Thank you, Jane. That means a lot to me. To Maura."_

"_Oh, wait to thank me for that. If you think this is overwhelming wait until Christmas," but she said it with a smile. "You know Maura couldn't be happier that you moved to Boston. We both are glad you are here more."_

"_I am glad too. I missed too much of her life when she was a child. I don't want to miss any more of it."_

_Jane smirked thinking about something and then suddenly realized it probably looked bad that she smiled at such a comment. "Constance, I'm sorry. I'm not smiling about what you said. I'm glad you are seeing Maura more. I just thought of something I told Maura I needed discuss with you is all."_

"_And that would be?"_

"_My concern that she was deprived of several childhood staples in the realm of cartoons and toys. I have made it my mission to re-educate her and show her some of the things she missed out on." She hoped this wouldn't upset Constance when she heard it._

"_I will admit Maura did not partake of the usual childhood norms. Cartoons? Is that really important to her now?"_

"_No. Although I think she likes that there are some things I can teach her about. It's almost always the other way around. So she humors me. I doubt her life would suffer if she wasn't introduced to the Saturday morning cartoon lineup. We may need to seriously address the Star Wars gap as that was just wrong. But she turned out ok all things considered."_

_Constance laughed. "I'm sure you will fill in any gaps she has. And for more than just pop culture."_

_That made Jane smile. She turned towards the house and looked in the window. Maura was in the kitchen helping her mother finish the last minute details for dinner. The sight of the woman she loved next to her mother, who she adored, warmed Jane's insides._

"_Constance, while we have a minute alone I'd….I'd like to ask you something."_

"_Go ahead."_

_Jane glanced back at Maura one more time making sure she wasn't heading out towards them. She then stepped closer to Constance and she pulled out a velvet box from her pocket. She opened it and allowed Constance to view the engagement ring. It was a simple 1.5 carat princess cut diamond but Jane hoped it would be a ring Maura would cherish._

"_I'd like your blessing to ask your daughter to marry me," she spoke with confidence but her tone was quiet. "I love her. I want nothing more than to spend the rest of my life with her. To be able to every day show her how wonderful she is and just how lucky I am that she is in my life. But I don't want to ask her without knowing that you would approve. I know this is something that should be asked of a father, but you are her family and I'd like your approval. Your blessing."_

_Constance just stared at Jane. And then at the ring. The gesture, the seeking approval, it was more than Constance felt she had any right to have been asked. She hadn't been there for Maura all too often in her life and now here was the woman who had been the first person to show her daughter absolute, complete love asking her permission to continue to make Maura happy. It would be a moment in her life she would never forget._

"_Jane…" she tried to speak and found herself choking up on the words. "There are no words that do justice to what this means to me. From the beginning I knew you were good for her. You were her first real friend. And your friendship helped open a whole new world for her. A world better than the one I had provided for her. When your family took her in, there was a part of me that knew it was everything her deserved. A family better than the one I provided. When she first told me that she loved you it was no surprise to me. You had become her world by that point and I was just glad someone was able to see all the wonderful that she is. _

"_When you two finally got together my first thought was how lucky you were that you got to have her in your life and I hoped you appreciated the time you had with her. But now, I have to say it is Maura I hope appreciates what she has in you. You make my daughter happy. You make her complete. I can't think of anything I'd love to see more than the two of you married and together forever. So yes Jane, you absolutely have my approval to marry my daughter."_

_Jane wiped a tear away from her eye. "I still say you have that wrong. I'm the lucky one." She was about to say something else but at that moment Maura stuck her head out to announce dinner was ready. Jane quickly hid the ring and said they would be there in a second._

"_Constance?"_

"_Yes."_

"_One favor. Please don't ever tell my mother you knew about this before her. She'll kill me."_

_Constance smiled. "She won't hear anything from me. I promise." And they went inside for dinner._

"She really asked for your approval?" Maura was shocked. She hadn't known Jane to have such traditional views on anything. But as she thought about it she couldn't help the smile that was spreading both across her face and within her heart.

"Yes she did. And I have to say that may have been one of the best moments of my whole life. That Jane thought enough of me to even ask. I'll never forget that."

"Mother, she knows how much you mean to me. " But even as she said it Maura was absolutely sure there would be no way she could repay Jane for what she had done for her mother.

"So tell me, how does it look?"

"It's perfect. And in my opinion it looks and feels like it's supposed to be on my finger for the rest of my days."

"That, sweetheart, is what you both deserve."

Maura hung up the phone and laid back down in bed. She still couldn't believe Jane had asked her mother for her hand in marriage. Just thinking about it made her giggle out loud. Jane re-entered the bedroom and had a curious look come across her face.

"What's so funny?"

Maura continued to smile. "Oh, nothing."

Jane walked over to the bed and leaned down to kiss Maura. As she leaned in Maura managed to get her arm onto Jane's shoulder and in one steady motion she pulled Jane back onto the bed and somehow managed to end up on top of her while still engaged in a kiss. Once Jane settled onto the bed for a second, the intensity of the kiss increased. Neither stopped until both needed to break to catch their breath.

"Maur, what was that for?"

"Just my way of saying good morning." And she kissed her again unwilling to let her wiggle out from underneath her.

After allowing the kiss to linger Jane tried to pull herself up. "Maura, we do have to get to work today."

Maura, still unwilling to let Jane up from under her simply responded, "We both may be just a tad bit late." And she leaned in for another kiss.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Jane made her way towards the elevators for the ride up to the bullpen. She knew her partner, Detective Barry Frost, and her pseudo-partner, Detective Sergeant Vince Korsak, were both already up there. She was going to take some crap from them both for being late. But, considering what it was that caused her tardiness, she decided it was worth a little verbal abuse from the men in her life. If marrying Maura meant waking to mornings like today, she may have to suggest skipping a wedding altogether, elope and head straight to the honeymoon. These kinds of mornings she could get very used to in deed.

Hopping off the elevator, Jane moved towards her desk. True to form, both Korsak and Frost sat chatting. She took a deep breath and stepped into the bullpen to take what she knew was awaiting her.

"Damn Rizzoli, I was going to send out a search party for you," was Frost's first offering.

"I didn't think she was lost but I was considering sending in rescue team to Doc's place to see if you at least had food and water," came from Korsak.

"Ha-ha guys. I'm not that late." A weak defense and she knew it. Maybe they would let it go at that.

"Rizzoli!" She cringed at the sound of her boss, Lieutenant Sean Cavanaugh, calling after her. Frost and Korsak snickered and found renewed interest in the folders on their desks. They were of no help to her at the moment. _Some partners! _"Now that you have come up for air," and he paused for comedic effect, "In my office please."

"Crap!" she mumbled under her breath. Looking at Korsak she asked, "Any ideas? I'm really not that late."

"None I'm afraid," was his only response. He had a hard time containing his grin as his focus returned to his stack of reports.

Jane headed into Cavanaugh's office trying to figure out if he was really mad about her tardiness. Technically she could have taken today off as well considering the Johnston shooting but she was ready to be working again. She was just running late. She hadn't ever had him complain about her work schedule other than him usually having to force her to go home at the end of a long day. She was hoping that might buy her some forgiveness. She entered his office holding her breath.

"Nice of you to join us today Rizzoli," he managed. "Shut the door please," and he gestured first to the door and then for Jane to sit down. He stared at her for a few seconds and just as Jane was about to state her case he broke out into a smile. "Sorry, but you rarely give me a chance to ride you about anything I thought I'd try to make you sweat for at least a second or two. I am glad you are back at it. The Johnston shooting was a clean shoot and it was good to see IA clear you as quickly as they did."

"I'm ready to be back, Sir. I know it was a clean shoot. The guy never gave me an option. Sorry about this morning it just kind of got away from me," she answered and tried not to blush. "It won't happen again."

"Easy Rizzoli. I was just playing. I've never had to worry about your coming and goings. But, don't make it a habit."

"Yes Sir."

Cavanaugh straightened up in his chair and a serious look overcame his face. "Now, I do need to talk to you about something and I need you to understand a few things before I get into any details."

"Sure, anything," she offered now curious about what was going on.

"First, I'm not even suppose to tell you what I'm about to tell you so you cannot tell anyone what you are about to hear. Not yet anyway. That means Frost, Korsak, your brother not even Dr. Isles. No one Jane. I need your word on that before I go one step further."

Jane didn't trust easily. But she trusted Cavanaugh. He had on several occasions proven that he had her back in the field and he was an excellent cop. It didn't take much for her to look into his eyes and state, "You have my word. Anything you tell me stays with me unless you tell me otherwise." Noticing the tension in his shoulders Jane was starting to get a little nervous.

Cavanaugh nodded. "I don't like keeping my detectives in the dark but the brass isn't giving me much choice right now. Rizzoli, stay a detective as long as you can. The politics of this place can be a real pain in the ass." He shoved a few folders around on his desk like that was helping him vent his frustrations with the Command politics Jane had always heard about and never really wanted to deal with.

He looked back at Jane and continued. "Okay, second you are not allowed to do anything with the information I'm about to give you unless and until you have my express permission. You won't even as much as flinch about any of this until we have talked about what I will or won't let you do. All conversations about this will be strictly off the record and by that I mean you and me are standing in the same room with each other when this is discussed as all of this is off limits for mention on any sort of technology. No texts, no emails, no cell phones. Eyeball to eyeball Rizzoli. Understand?"

She had never been given such a direction by Cavanaugh. Understanding enough to realize that whatever was going on was big she merely nodded her agreement and found herself hanging on his every word.

"Alright, I think we understand each other. So now for the bad news. Jane, we may have an issue that could put Dr. Isles in danger."

Jane just stared at him. If he didn't have her full attention before he certainly had it now.

An hour later Jane went to exit Cavanaugh's office. Pausing she turned back, "Sir..." she hesitated for a second. "Thank you." It didn't feel or sound like enough to convey what she was feeling.

"Thank me by not making me regret that I just told you. I'm out on a limb here Jane and I think we both know it. Don't let me down."

"No, Sir," was all she managed.

"Oh and Jane?"

"Yes, Sir?"

"Don't think I don't understand the burden this will be for you. I am sorry for that. If there was any other way right now I'd take it. You are going to have to pull this off without alerting her to anything. I don't envy your task."

She made her way to her desk and Frost pushed his chair over to hers. Her mind was spinning and her hands were shaking. She needed to calm herself before she got busted by Frost or Korsak.

"Man he had you in there forever. Was he really that mad that you were late?"

Jane stared at the top of her desk and didn't say anything.

"Jane?" Frost nudged her.

She snapped to and looked at him. "Um, no. Not too mad. Although I can't really be late again for like, ever."

Frost looked at her and was surprised to hear unsteadiness in her voice. "You ok? What did he want from you?"

Jane forced herself to control her nerves. "I'm good. He just had questions about the Gorning deposition and he wanted a status update on the Johnston case."

"Gorning? That case closed over two months ago. Nice of the DA to stay on top of her case files. Anything we need to worry about on our end?"

Jane quietly shook her head. Clearing her throat she added, "Not really. Just a timeline question but I think it's been figured out now."

Frost pushed his chair back to his desk and started to tackle the stack of reports sitting on his desk. "Maybe we can get away with doing our paperwork two months later."

Jane just shrugged her shoulders. "Don't bank on it." Her gaze fell onto a report in front of her but she found herself not really reading anything. The conversation with Cavanaugh had thrown her and she was having trouble concentrating on anything. She wanted to talk to Frost. To Korsak. But she was ordered not to and she knew that she would have to snap out of her funk quickly otherwise one or both would start asking her questions she was not allowed to answer at this point.

Cavanaugh was right. Politics sucked. She should be mad at Cavanaugh for pulling her into any of this but she was just lucky he trusted her enough to loop her in. He was risking his own career for what he had just told her and what he said he was willing to do. And she knew he was willing to do it for her. Anything involving Maura he understood involved her and it could cost them both their jobs if this wasn't handled right.

Her attention was reined in by the vibrations of her cell phone. She knew before looking it was Maura. Maura. What was she going to do about her? She couldn't tell her this yet either. How was she going to keep something like this from her? Maura usually could read Jane like a book and this was absolutely something that she did not need to know or be a part of right now. Shaking her head she pulled up her phone to see the message.

_In serious trouble?_

That made her at least smile a little. She thought about playing up the amount of trouble their tardiness had caused but quite frankly she wasn't in that kind of mood.

_No_

It was short. Too short and she knew Maura would pick up on that. Sure enough within a second of sending her phone buzzed again.

_Everything ok?_

Jane exhaled loudly. Loud enough for Frost to look over at her and raise an eyebrow. Maura could even read her through a text message. This was not going to be easy. She wanted to share everything with Maura. They had been through so much and she had kept too many things to herself over the years that keeping Cavanaugh's conversation with her a secret felt wrong in too many ways. She had finally found the person she felt she could tell everything to and now she was being forced to conceal something from Maura that even involved her and she didn't like it. The only thing that made her feel even close to ok was that she understood that it was for Maura's own safety and best interest that she remain in the dark about everything for the time being. And there wasn't anything Jane wouldn't do to keep that woman safe. Including withholding information if she had to. Somehow she was going to make this work.

_Yes- coffee break?_

She at least needed to see her. Maybe seeing her would make this a little better. Just being around Maura usually calmed her down. Her phone buzzed quickly again.

_30 minutes?_

That would work. She wasn't getting much done with the paperwork anyway.

_Meet me down the street. Ma will see the ring and we aren't telling her until tonight_

That was the other issue on the table. They needed to tell people they were getting married. She knew she had to tell her mother about the engagement before they could tell others. She wanted to tell her but she just couldn't get herself to tell her at the police station. First, Jane knew her mother would scream so loud at the news that it would alert the entire station in no time at all. She wanted to tell Frost and Korsak on her own and not have a jubilant, screaming Angela Rizzoli as how they found out she had proposed to Maura. Second, her mother deserved to hear this news in a manner better than a quick 'hello, we are getting married oh and can I get a coffee' kind of moment. She loved her mother and knew this was going to make her happy so Jane wanted to have a nice dinner with just her and Maura and they could tell her together. Which was the plan for later that night. Maura, or more specifically Maura's finger, just had to avoid getting seen by Angela until dinner tonight.

_See you in 30 XXX_

She definitely needed to see her.

"Frost, I'm going down the street for coffee in about 30. Want anything?"

He looked up. "Coffee and a donut would be great."

Jane nodded. She looked over and saw Korsak re-entering the bullpen. "Hey, I'm going for coffee with Maura in about 30 minutes. Can I bring you back anything?"

"The usual would be perfect," he said with a smile. Once Jane nodded her acknowledgement he came closer and leaned up against her desk. "What did Cavanaugh want with you for so long this morning? He couldn't have really been mad at you about being late."

Jane shook her head. "No, he was alright about the lateness but I can't do it again. He just was getting questions from the DA about the Gorning deposition. I guess there is a timeline issue that got confused in two officer's depositions. And then he wanted a status update on Johnston. Truthfully I think it was his way of tormenting me for having the nerve to come in an hour late after having the weekend off." She almost sounded convincing and hoped Korsak wouldn't push anything further. He was the one she really wanted to talk to and at that moment she wasn't really sure of her resolve not to tell him everything. She loved Frost and he was a great partner, but this was all more up Korsak's alley and she knew he would help if he had any idea what was possibly happening.

Korsak didn't pick up on anything unusual from Jane. He nodded his head and reminded her that his request was for the usual for the coffee run. The fact that he didn't notice anything made Jane feel better. She was going to have to keep a tight grasp on her emotions for awhile if she was going to avoid alerting the guys. And it was extra practice for what she would have to do to keep this from Maura.

Thirty minutes later Jane walked over to the café that was down the block from the Boston Police station to meet up with Maura wondering how she was going to get through coffee without telling her everything that she had just been told.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Maura entered the café and let her eyes scan the crowd. She figured Jane would beat her over here as it was closer to forty minutes later instead of the thirty minutes she had originally planned. An instant smile came across her face when she spotted the beautiful, tall brunette patiently waiting for her near the counter. The sight of her still took Maura's breath away. And she was slowly wrapping her mind around the fact that she was going to marry this woman. Somehow she had gotten lucky enough to find happiness with the person that was the first person to ever really accept her for who she was. Lucky indeed.

She started to head towards Jane and she noticed that Jane was rubbing the scar on her left hand. That immediately worried her. She knew Jane only did that when she was really bothered by something. She had already been concerned by her brief answers to the text messages this morning. Normally Jane made jokes or at least added funny emoticons when she sent texts but the messages this morning were very reserved. Something was troubling her and Maura now wanted to find out what.

She walked up to Jane and placed a kiss on her cheek. "Sorry, I was almost out the door and one of the techs had a question that needed to be reviewed."

"No worries. I just got here a few minutes ago. I waited for you to order. I wasn't sure if you wanted coffee or tea so I figured it was better to wait."

"Are you ok?" Maura asked as they both approached the counter to place their order. Maura did go for the tea which was what Jane had thought but hadn't been sure.

"I'm just fine," was the rather quick answer from Jane who also attempted to avoid direct eye contact with Maura by grabbing two of the hot beverage holder sleeves. After they received their drinks they found a table in the corner to sit and talk for a while.

"So, did you get into any trouble for being late this morning?" Maura asked with concern. Maybe causing Jane to be late had been a bigger issue that she expected.

"Not really. Cavanaugh tried to rib me about it but he doesn't do fake mad very well. I just can't make it a habit. So, Miss I'm-the-Boss-and-Can-Be-Late-All-I-Want you are just going to have to control your urges a little better in the mornings," she said with a genuine smile.

Jane's smile was natural and sincere. Maura immediately knew the morning tardiness wasn't what was troubling her. "Or we are just going to have to wake up earlier to allow for our overwhelming sexual desires," Maura tossed back with a seductive smile.

"That could be arranged. It certainly was a great way to start out the day." Jane smiled and looked into the hazel eyes that greeted her. She needed to keep the conversation light or she was afraid she would tip her hand to Maura.

"I just wanted to show you my appreciation." Maura noted that Jane's mood was notably lighter since they sat down. Maybe she was alright after all.

"You certainly managed to do that. However, were you appreciating anything in particular or just me in general?"

"While you were in the shower I got a call from my Mother," Maura offered and looked back at Jane to see if Jane could guess what the topic of conversation had been.

"I see," Jane responded slowly. It took about two seconds for her to connect the dots. Constance must have said something about her conversation with Jane the night before. A smile made its way across Jane's face.

"Jane," the tone Maura used to even say Jane's name was filled with nothing but love. "What you did…you really made my Mother's day. I've never heard her so touched by a gesture." She reached over and took Jane's hands in hers.

"Maura, she's your family. I know how much she means to you. And I found myself feeling like I had to ask someone's permission and she was the logical choice. I'm just glad she said yes. I'm not sure what I would have done if she wouldn't have approved."

"She loves you. She keeps trying to tell me that I couldn't do any better in life than you and I for one can't argue that. But, I don't think I can ever thank you for what you did. It meant everything to her. And to me. Thank you."

Jane leaned in for a kiss. "You're welcome. I had to make her promise not to tell my mother she knew before her. So we really have to tell Ma tonight."

Maura smiled at the thought. Jane was right. Angela would be devastated if she knew others knew before her. "We agreed we would tell her at dinner tonight."

"Are you ready for that?"

"I have no issues with telling everyone about us getting married," answered Maura a little confused about that question.

"No, not telling people. Telling Angela. You do realize the reaction we are going to get tonight, right? You may want to mentally prepare yourself for the number and strength of the bear hugs she will inflict upon you tonight. Not to mention the questions."

Maura giggled at the thought. She hadn't really factored in Angela's tendency to overreact to things. There was definitely going to be a high probability of overreaction at hearing about the pending marriage. "I guess I didn't take that into consideration. It's going to bad isn't it?"

Jane laughed. "You've only seen Hurricane Angela when she is worried. You have no idea what it looks like when it is motivated by happiness. We are both going to have our hands full in trying to contain the enthusiasm."

They stared into each other's eyes for a moment and both enjoyed knowing that it their marriage that they were talking about. The idea of marriage and a happily ever after seemed finally a real concept for them both. It felt right and it was something that they both wanted.

"Might I suggest that we try to at least have an idea about what we want before she tries to overwhelm us with her plans and ideas," Jane offered. "I mean we don't have to decide everything right now but you know Ma will want a date, a location, a guest list, color schemes and every other detail you can think of. If we don't at least have a general idea we are running the risk of being trampled over by her."

"Jane, I don't really care about the details. I just want to marry you."

Jane didn't buy it for a minute. "Oh no! You aren't going to pull that on me. Not from the woman that still plays Fantasy Wedding. Be careful there or you'll break out in hives."

Maura fidgeted and dropped her eyes. "Alright, I do want a wedding but I know that you aren't really into weddings and ceremonies and being the center of attention so I want what makes you happy."

Jane squeezed Maura's hands. "Look, I'll admit I'm not big into weddings in general. But, I'll be into OUR wedding. I am going to want us to be able to look back at our wedding and have it be one of the best days of our lives. So, no eloping and no Justice of the Peace. Not for you. Not for us. I think between the two of us we can figure out something that will work for both of us. But we will need to stand firm against my mother trying to turn it into a circus."

Maura was touched. Jane was willing to probably do anything Maura wanted in terms of a wedding. She wondered if she would ever get used to Jane putting her needs ahead of her own. There was still such a sense of security in knowing that. But she was right, there had to be a way to figure out a ceremony that would make both of them happy. "I think between the two of us we can figure it out. Together we can do anything."

Jane smiled but had the thoughts of Cavanaugh's conversation flash through her mind. She dropped her eyes from Maura and broke away from the hand holding. A shiver had gone through her and she didn't want Maura to pick up on it. She grabbed her coffee and took a long sip and tried to force the thoughts and worries from her mind. She had done alright up until that point but now she was fighting the need to tell Maura everything.

Maura thought she detected a slight change in Jane's demeanor. She leaned back and tried to take a good look at Jane. But there didn't seem to be anything but a nice smile on her face. She hadn't made any further attempt to rub the scar on her hands. Maybe she was just imagining things. "So, we want a ceremony. I'd like it to be small if that is ok with you."

Jane smiled bigger and was glad that Maura stayed with wedding talk. She must not have caught her temporary shutter. "Small is what I want too. Just family and close friends. I don't really want the entire police department at my wedding. But I think we could do something nice with just the people who we really care to share the day with."

"Small it will be then. Do you have any idea about when you would like this to happen?"

"Not really, no. I mean I don't have any real idea what it takes to arrange or plan a wedding. I've heard horror stories of some people taking an entire year to plan a wedding. Please, please tell me you don't want anything that would take a year to plan," Jane didn't even hide the desperation in that plea.

Maura snickered, "No Jane. I won't need an entire year if it is going to be a small service. But we will need time for finding a location, planning what we will wear. I mean I'm going to have to find a wedding dress," and she face just beamed at the notion of wedding dress shopping. Jane, on the other hand, turned a little pale.

"Uh Maur? Are you going to be expecting me to wear a….a…." she couldn't even really say it without heart palpations.

Maura let out a large full body laugh. "Relax Jane. I know your hatred for the "D" word. I'm sure we can figure out something that will be acceptable to you that you won't want to kill me because I made you wear. I wouldn't do that to you." And she continued to laugh at the somewhat relieved look on Jane's face. "But for the record you will not be allowed to wear a Red Sox jersey so just get that out of your head right now."

"Thanks and I figured as much about my Sox jersey. Somewhere in the middle has to something I can live with I hope. So how long do you think we need? Ma will want at least a ball park date range tonight."

"How about three months? That should be enough time to figure everything out and will also help keep both our mothers from having too much time to get out of hand. Sometime in late November or early December? I don't mind a winter wedding. But I don't want it to be on Christmas, New Years or Thanksgiving. I want an anniversary that will be separate from a major holiday."

Jane grinned at hearing the word anniversary. They were going to have an anniversary at some point. That thought warmed her insides. She nodded and looked at Maura. "Alright, we have a tentative plan. A small winter ceremony."

"Bring on the Hurricane," Maura offered up with a smile.

Jane could only wish that her overly enthusiastic mother was the only concern either would face in the coming months. But after today that was a wish she knew was not going to come true.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N Argh! Seriously someone remind me to not travel on vacation. Next time I'm staying home. Another delay…and a bonus chapter for you all…..**

**Thanks to everyone for the follows, favorites and reviews/feedback about this story or the three stories in general. I am, as ever, humbled that any of you think enough to read anything I do let alone be kind enough to share your thoughts. All feedback…good or bad…is always welcome. Thanks!**

**Oh….and for those that are annoyed with my suspense and teasing….just so you know the entirety (not just a hint…..the WHOLE thing) of Cavanaugh and Jane's conversation from Chapter 2 will be revealed in Chapter 6. So it's coming. Just not today. (If you are looking at a calendar that means Saturday folks) Until then…just a few things Jane still needs to handle on a very busy Monday for her.**

**And I thought my Mondays were long... Enjoy and I'll continue to post at least once a day.**

Chapter 4

Jane stayed behind to order the coffee and food for Frost and Korsak. Maura had wanted to have lunch but Jane was meeting Frankie for lunch. Jane had promised not to tell Frankie about the proposal as they both decided they really should tell Angela first and then let everyone else find out after that. Jane would have invited Maura to her lunch with Frankie but she needed to talk to him about a few things and wanted a chance to be alone with Frankie.

She returned to the station with the coffee and food. She spent the rest of the morning tackling the stack of reports on her desk and before she knew it was time of meet up with Frankie. She told Frost she would be back later and to just call if anything exciting started to happen. And then she headed out to meet up with her brother.

They met up at the Dirty Robber which was a favorite hang out for them all. Beer was out of the question but Jane was hungry for a burger and fries which she ordered for both her and Frankie. He entered the Robber about ten minutes after she got there. She had already claimed their usual booth.

"Hey little brother," was her greeting. "How are things in Robbery?"

"Good. Not as thrill a minute as Homicide but I'm definitely keeping busy." Frankie had wanted to be in the Homicide division with his sister but his first detective promotion had come in Robbery instead. Jane actually felt that was a good thing for him to help develop his detective, investigation and interview skills before having to try to deal with murderers. The only bad thing about his promotion was that they didn't get to see each other as much as they did when he was a patrol officer and could shadow Jane.

"All police work is about paperwork Frankie. You'll learn that eventually. Paperwork."

They sat and chatted for a while waiting for their food. Just getting caught up on current cases and then important things like the Patriots and how Brady was playing. The burgers arrived and they started to eat. Jane had wanted to talk to Frankie about something specific so she knew she had to start before the lunch hour was completely over.

"So, I wanted to ask you how you knew about Ben. Or at least enough to tell Maura Ben's name. We didn't have a chance to really talk about this at dinner last night."

Frankie stopped chewing and looked at her. He had a moment of panic not sure if she was in fact actually mad at him about that. She had said it was okay yesterday but he was a little worried now that they were alone. He had given Maura the name in hopes that Jane would finally open up and talk to Maura about that secret. The one time he tried using the name they stopped speaking for three months. He wasn't sure what to say here exactly. So he kept staring at her.

Jane picked up on his hesitation. She understood it too. He had said the name to her one time six years ago and it almost caused a permanent rift in their relationship. She was sure he feared saying anything again. "Frankie, it's ok. I'm not mad. I told you that last night. But I am curious. I was six years ago and I still am now. How did you know it had anything to do with Ben?"

Frankie swallowed his food and wiped off his mouth with a napkin. "Do you really want to know?"

"Yes, I really do."

"I never had any idea about what it was that you seemed to never want to speak of until I went through the Academy. I had tried to figure things out as we were growing up but nothing ever really made any sense. But then I went through the Academy and had to take the Investigations course."

Jane knew instantly what must have happened. She looked at Frankie and said, "Robinson?"

Frankie nodded. One word said it all. Sergeant Robinson was one of the Academy instructors and one of Jane's favorite people in the world. He was really the first one to push her towards being a detective. He was the first one to recognize her talent for interviews and investigations and he pushed her hard in the Academy. It was because of Robinson that she finished at the top of her class at the Academy.

"I think he wanted to see if I would be as good as you so he challenged me to top your final case study project. Said you set the bar higher than any single student he ever met and he wanted to see if the genius ran in the family. So, in order for me to top your final case study I needed to know what your case study had been all about. He shared it with me and that sort of filled in a few blanks for me."

Jane nodded. She had used Ben's death and ruling as an accident as a case study for a possible cold case file. It had allowed her access to records, reports and evidence she had always wanted to see. She knew Ben had been killed but with the available science and information at the time it was ruled an accidental death. Jane had never figured out if Ben's parents had deliberately killed him or if he just died from an incident of severe abuse. Even after the case study she couldn't definitely prove one way or the other but she did compile the necessary evidence that would have re-opened the case from accidental to suspicious in nature. She had managed to hide her involvement in the case from Robinson. He had been impressed with what she had found and the attention to detail she possessed. It had been a purely selfish exercise for Jane but Robinson thought she was dedicated to finding the truth.

"But it didn't tell you everything, did it?"

"No. I still don't understand why his death affects you like it does. I mean, I get that he was a friend and that it looks like he was killed more than like he fell but why does that haunt you?" He was surprised at how bold he was in asking that. He wasn't sure he expected Jane to answer. He wasn't even sure what all Jane had shared with Maura over the weekend. But he did at least believe that Jane wasn't mad at him and that alone was a step in the right direction as far as he was concerned.

Jane looked away for a second. She had told Maura the entire story and had felt better sharing it with her. Jane had considered her failures in Ben's life and death to be the worst about herself and Maura had listened, understood and stayed. It made Jane love Maura even more than she already had if that was possible. She wasn't sure, however, if telling anyone other than Maura was what she wanted. There was still a lot of residual guilt attached to Ben's death and just because Maura wasn't blaming her or changing how she looked at Jane it didn't mean others, including Frankie, would react the same. He was a cop. She feared he would think less of her for not stopping what happened.

She felt herself hitting the same wall of silence she had spent most of her life running into. It was still an absolute fear of having people know her failure had cost the life of a friend. She still feared Frankie would somehow think less of her for not speaking up when there was something that could have been for Ben. For his brother and sister too. It was just a tragedy that the entire family was lost and Jane could never shake the feeling that if she had just done one thing differently she could have prevented one if not all of the deaths for that family.

She looked at her brother whom she loved and knew that she was not ready to share the details of her involvement in Ben's death with him. Not yet. Maybe someday. Maybe someday she would start to forgive herself enough to trust that others would do the same. But for now, she just couldn't. It had taken everything she had to tell Maura and she just didn't have it in her to do the same with Frankie. She told Maura because she knew she would lose her if she hadn't. She didn't think she would lose Frankie if she continued to keep this part of herself from him at least in the short term.

"Frankie, I know there are things about this that don't make any sense to you. I wish I could fill in all the blanks. But I'm sorry. I just can't right now. You are my brother and I love you but as your older sister there just are some things that I don't want you to know about me. I hope you can understand that. I was curious about how you knew what to tell Maura. Now I know. And I will tell you that had you not given her the name, I wouldn't have had the conversation with her that I had this weekend. It was because of you that I was able to explain something to her that I had never been able to and that may have just saved our relationship. So, while I'm not in a place where I can explain to you the 'what' of what you did for me I am in a position to tell you that I owe you more than you will ever be able to understand for helping me even when I knew you thought it may hurt our relationship. I love you very much and I may just owe you a debt that can't be re-paid."

Frankie was in awe of what Jane was saying. Part of him wished she had more faith in him that he would understand and love her no matter what. But part of him realized that this the most she had ever shared on such a personal level with him and that if by simply telling Maura one name he had helped fix their issues and aided them in their relationship then that he could live with that. "Janie, you are my big sister and I adore you. You are my hero. I know you don't like that word but listen to me when I say it to you. I'm glad I could help in some small way with you and Maura. I just want you happy because you deserve that more than anyone I know. And I won't push you about Ben but just know this, there is nothing you could ever tell me that would change the fact that you are my hero and the best sister a guy could ever ask for. I'll always be there for you Janie. Always."

Jane choked back a tear. She loved her little brother too. "Eat your burger. It's getting cold." And that was all they said about Ben for the rest of the lunch.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

The rest of the day passed quickly and before Jane really knew it was time to head downstairs to collect Maura and head home for dinner with Angela. She straightened up her desk and was surprised at how much she had actually managed to get done that afternoon. She had thought her concentration was shot but the stack of folders in the complete pile was probably twice as high as she would have expected. That made her feel a little better about whether her head was functioning through the distraction.

"Alright kids. I'm out," she announced to Frost and Korsak.

"You want to grab a drink at the Robber?" asked Frost.

Jane shook her head, "Can't. Dinner with Ma tonight."

Frost nodded understandingly. "Korsak? What do you say?"

"No can do my friend. I have a sick dog at home and need to check in on her." Korsak was known for taking in strays of all kinds. It was a peculiar but endearing quality.

"Vince, do you have the Vet on speed dial?" Jane couldn't help but ask.

"No!" he answered but conveniently avoided eye contact with both Jane and Frost leading both to suspect it may be the most frequently dialed number on his phone.

Jane chuckled. "Well, good night Dr Doolittle. And sorry Frost, you are without a wingman tonight I'm afraid."

"Oh, I don't need a wingman," he tried with an air of confidence.

"Sure you don't," offered Jane and she again snickered and headed out for the night. "I'll see you both tomorrow."

She headed for the elevator and hit the down button. She had finally managed to talk Maura into driving to the station together this morning so she was now hoping she was ready to head out. They were having dinner at Maura's place and there were things Jane wanted to get and do before her mother came over.

She got off the elevator and wandered towards Maura's office. She peaked into the lab and didn't see Maura so she assumed she was in her office. Jane rounded the corner and was a little surprised to find Maura's office empty. She looked around and didn't see an immediate indication of where Maura was so she entered her office. She wanted to take a seat but she found Maura's available chairs to be horrendously uncomfortable so she decided it would be more relaxing to just stand and wait. She grabbed her phone off her hip and typed out a text message.

_Ready to head. Waiting in your office._

She hit send. And then, smiling, added a follow-up comment.

_Standing in your office I might point out_

Maura knew Jane hated the furniture in her office so Jane thought that would make her smile. About a minute later Jane got her answer.

_No Lazy-Boy will ever enter my office. Be there in 5_

That made Jane smile. No, a Lazy-Boy would never make it into her office. Or her home either if she had anything to say about it. Jane liked the fact that Maura appreciated the finer things in life but she wished that simple comfort was a consideration from time to time. She started to pace around the office a bit waiting. She didn't make it a habit of snooping but she didn't remember ever really looking at the things Maura had in her office before.

She looked over at her desk and noticed, maybe for the first time, that Maura had three framed photographs on her desk. The first was of her mother. It was an elegant photo and captured the beauty of her mother perfectly. The middle photo was a picture of Jane and Maura together. It made Jane smile as she remembered when it was taken. It had been the first Red Sox game Maura had gone to. She was decked out head to toe in Sox gear that she had bought just for the occasion. They had a great time at the game. The third photo was a photo that surprised Jane. It was a photo of her, Angela and Frankie. It was taken when they were all in Maura's backyard but Jane couldn't place the event.

"That was from the first barbeque cookout you all ever had at my house," came the answer from Maura who had just walked into her office. "If you were trying to place the event."

"I was actually. I guess I don't remember anyone ever taking pictures." Normally Angela hoarded the camera and tried to pose her and her brothers in different pairings. Photos for events were a chore if Angela was in charge.

"Nobody was. I snuck that one with my cell phone."

"Why?"

Maura walked up to Jane and took the picture from her. She looked at it fondly for a second and handed it back to Jane. "Because that was the moment. The first time I felt like I was part of a family. Your family. And I never wanted to forget that moment. So I took a picture."

"Maura," Jane said tenderly.

"That day. That is a day I will never forget. It was right after you finished working the Mackie case. That had been the first time you ever saved me from danger, remember?"

Jane simply nodded. Mackie had become obsessed with the Boston Strangler case and started killing women to put the blame back on who he originally thought was the real Strangler. He had tried to take Maura hostage when Maura, and Jane, figured out he was the killer. Maura had to stab him to get away. She definitely remembered the Mackie case.

"Well, that weekend you insisted that I not be alone. I'm pretty sure you were afraid I was going to freak out after what Mackie almost did. So you all, Angela, Frankie, your dad and you, just invaded and we had a backyard barbeque. Your dad was manning the grill otherwise he would have been in this photo too. I had never had a group of people care about me like that before. And on that day, that was when I first felt like I really belonged. So I took the picture to never forget. And I haven't." She leaned in and kissed Jane's cheek.

"They love you. You are family. And I was worried that you would freak out after Mackie. But you are definitely stronger than I had given you credit for."

"My strength comes from you. Your belief in me. Your faith in me. Your love for me."

"No. You are strong in your own right Maura. That inner strength was always there. That was never me." Jane looked at the picture again and closed her eyes. A shutter ran through her.

"What?" asked Maura with sudden concern.

"Nothing," now mad at herself for letting Maura see her reaction.

"Really, what?" Maura stepped closer and put her hand on Jane's elbow.

"I just don't like thinking about you getting hurt or being threatened." Which was absolutely the truth.

"I'm just fine Jane. He didn't hurt me. And besides, I have you to protect me." Maura moved her hand to caress Jane's cheek.

"I'll always protect you," Jane offered. It was a solemn oath. _No matter what. _"Are you ready to go?" Jane tried to dismiss the knot that was forming in her stomach.

"Yes. Let's go get ready for dinner with your mother."

They headed home and started dinner preparations. Jane was honestly surprised that they had in fact successfully avoided running into Angela during the day. She was glad. She wanted to control how her mother found out about her and Maura. She was making lasagna for dinner and everything was almost set when Angela walked into the kitchen.

"Boy Janie, that sure smells great," she said with a smile.

"It should. It's your recipe. Want a glass of wine?"

"Sure thanks. What can I do to help?"

"Not a thing," came from Maura who was entering the kitchen. "You cooked all day yesterday. It's our turn to cook for you tonight. You just sit down and relax."

Angela smiled. She couldn't be happier to let the girls pamper her a bit. And it wasn't because she didn't have to do anything it was because they so clearly wanted to do this for her together. She had noticed last night that they seemed closer somehow. And today it was the same thing. She knew there was an issue. Something that was upsetting Maura but all of that seemed to be gone now. And last night Jane seemed more at ease with herself than Angela had ever seen her. No, this was what she loved. Watching her two girls interact with each other with love and respect just made her heart melt.

Maura and Jane had decided to tell Angela before dinner. They both knew Maura couldn't hide the ring on her finger forever and she didn't want to take it off to hide it. So Maura prepared a glass of wine for Angela and while discreetly hiding her left hand went into the living room with Angela to wait for Jane to join them. And considering that it was Jane's mother, Jane won the right to make the announcement.

Jane joined both ladies a few minutes later. "Dinner will be ready in about 15 minutes. Until then, Ma I need to talk to you about something."

"What's wrong? Is it Tommy? Frankie? What?" She couldn't help it. It always seemed to be a given with this family that the proverbial 'I have to tell you something' line ended with bad news. Usually someone in jail or in a hospital bed.

"Ma! Man alive will you relax. Everything is fine." Jane was already shaking her head.

"What. Sorry. But this family has a history of bad things following the line 'I need to talk'. Ok, so what is going on?"

"Ma, I asked Maura to marry me last night and she said yes." Jane got it out as quickly as she could. For her part, Maura displayed her left hand right on cue for Angela to see the ring. And they both waited.

And waited.

Angela stared at the ring on Maura's hand. She felt the eyes of both girls locked in on her. She knew they were holding their breaths waiting for her reaction. For her to say something. To cry. To smile. To scream. But she didn't do any of that. Instead, without comment she got up and walked out of the house.

Both Jane and Maura were in shock. Of all the reactions they had expected, Angela walking out on them wasn't even a remote possibility. They had prepared for crying, screaming, laughing, bone crushing bear hugs but a blank and a walk out had them both stunned. Neither moved. Neither even tried to follow her. They barely looked at each other. It was like their minds couldn't grasp what had just happened.

Finally Maura spoke. "Jane?" At least she made a noise that sounded like Jane's name.

Jane couldn't answer. Her mind was spinning. Could she have been wrong about her mother's acceptance of her relationship with Maura? Was her mother still secretly hoping Jane would find marriage with a man instead of with Maura? She felt like the walls were closing in on her. And then suddenly, a ray of hope. Angela had in fact returned.

Angela, carrying something in her hands, took back her original seat on the couch. She looked at both Jane and Maura and knew they were both about to freak out if she didn't say something. Thinking back on it she probably should have said something before she went to the guesthouse but she was so stunned by the announcement it didn't occur to her until she registered the panicked looks on both the girls' faces. She was determined to get out what she wanted to say without crying but that was going to be impossible if she looked at Jane at all so she turned her entire attention to Maura. And finally spoke.

"You never had a chance to meet Jane's grandmother. I loved my mother very much and she was an incredible woman. Strong and independent and that was back in a generation where women were supposed to be subordinate to the men in their lives. Not my mother. Stubborn as hell but loving and loyal. Jane is a lot like her. She had a way of seeing the good in everyone and in every situation and she always, always preached that a person needed to follow their heart if they wanted to be truly happy in life.

"She adored her grandchildren but Jane was probably her favorite. The kids would never know it because she did everything she could to treat all of them equally but when we would spend time talking about each of them no one could light up my mother's face more than when she talked about Jane. She had such hopes and dreams for Jane. Even more than I ever did. She used to tell me that Jane was meant for great things in this world.

"But she worried about Jane more than the others too. She was always afraid that Jane was hiding herself from others and that she would never experience what it felt like to be loved by someone who loved her back. We spent hours talking about how much Jane could offer the right person if she would just let her guard down and let someone in. My mother's fear was that Jane would isolate herself so often that she would end up alone. It was my fear too. That's why I have always tried to push you so hard to date and why I tried so many set ups," she said turning her attention to Jane for the first time.

"Ma…" Jane tried but Angela cut her off.

"Let me finish. I was desperate. I didn't want you to be alone and I didn't want my mother to continue to worry about you and your happiness. I'm sorry for pushing people, men, at you but I thought maybe one would work out or at least it would motivate you to try to find someone on your own. Janie, you are such an amazing person and your grandmother was convinced it would be a sin if someone wasn't allowed to experience all you had to offer."

She turned her attention back to Maura. "My mother made me promise something to her before she died. She made me promise not to stop trying to get Jane to open herself up to love. And she gave me something that I was supposed to give Jane if she ever was going to get married. Truth be told, we both figured marriage for her would involve a man. However, I couldn't be happier that Jane has finally found the person she is willing to share herself with. And that's you Maura.

"I know my daughter loves you. And I certainly know you love her. You have managed to do the one thing no one else has ever been able to do and I will be forever grateful to you for that. You managed to open my daughter up to love and grant my mother's one wish for her favorite grandchild. Because of that, and Jane you will have to forgive me for what I'm about to do, instead of giving Jane what my mother left for her I am giving it to you instead. I think it is only appropriate and I know my mother would have done the same thing if she was still with us."

Angela then handed Maura the jewelry box she had left the house to get. Maura hadn't flinched or barely breathed through Angela's entire speech. She instinctually held out her hand and took the box but couldn't get her mind to make her hands work to open it. She looked up at Jane not sure she should even look at something that was supposed to be for Jane in the first place and was now suddenly in her hands. Jane gave her a reassuring nod and Maura somehow managed to finally get her hands to open the box.

What was inside took her breath away. It was an elegant diamond and emerald necklace that was delicate but perfect at the same time. It was absolutely gorgeous. It was a multi-strand design with diamond and emeralds adorning three strands and a diamond pendant adorned by smaller emeralds hanging from the third strand. Maura looked up at Angela and tried to speak.

"I….I can't," was all she got out. Tears were filling up in her eyes.

"I insist. I promised my mother that I would give this to Jane for her to wear on her wedding day. I assumed she would wear it because at the time I assumed she would be marrying a man. But, clearly that isn't the case. And now I want you to be the one that wears it on your wedding day. To my daughter. It will look gorgeous on you and I believe you will appreciate it more than Jane ever could." Angela looked over at Jane who could only nod her approval and agreement.

"But it was for Jane."

"No. It was to celebrate the person who finally made my daughter let love in her life. And that is you. And this is now yours."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

The dinner with Angela went superbly after Maura had finally been convinced to accept the necklace from Angela. Angela, for her part, would not accept no for an answer. While a very enjoyable night the evening didn't seem to go has both Jane and Maura expected it to. Hurricane Angela was not in full force. They had expected to be blown over with questions on the details on the proposal, the ideas for the wedding, dates, locations and all that it would entail. However, Angela was blissfully calm and seemed happier just enjoying a quiet evening with the girls than with bogging them down with questions and details.

Jane had found it oddly unnerving. Which was what she was trying to explain to Maura has they were getting ready for bed. "It's not a bad thing Maur, but it's just not a 'Ma' kind of reaction. It's sort of freaking me out."

"Clearly," Maura acknowledged with a light chuckle. Jane had been rambling about the control Angela had exercised for the past forty-five minutes. "Jane, you need to relax. Your mother is happy for us. Maybe she understands that we aren't ready to discuss details about a wedding neither of us has planned for yet. I think the evening was delightful."

"I think it's suspicious," she said with almost a pout.

"Jane. Seriously. Stop."

She realized she was almost pouting. And suddenly felt like an idiot. "Sorry. I've just spent years anticipating my mother's reaction to things and I'm way, way off here. It's unnerving. I'll stop obsessing."

"Good. Because quite frankly I have other things much closer to you that need a bit of obsessing," she said as she slyly maneuvered herself on top of Jane. "It's time to focus in on us and not your mother." She leaned down and let her lips take in the lips of her fiancé.

That was all it took for Jane to forget about her mother completely. She took in the kiss from Maura and it quickly turned into a deep, passionate kiss. Jane had come to love the way the two of them kissed. There was something so right about the way their lips fit together. Perfect. Each with the ability to elicit a soft moan from the other with the ease of a tongue or a nibble of a lower lip. It felt effortless and made the prospect of kissing something both looked forward to frequently.

Tonight was no different. Somewhere is the storm that was brewing in Jane's mind was the notion that if she had to name the one thing that she could not live without doing ever again kissing Maura would be number one on that list with, well, nothing really being option number two. And then, as hands started to explore and lips started to travel up and down both bodies as articles of clothing were shed, Jane's mind simply went blank and allowed her the freedom to enjoy the essence of the woman she loved.

A few hours later Jane looked over at the now fully asleep doctor laying next to her. She grinned as she knew Maura was dead to the world. The rhythm of her breathing suggested she was out for at last the next few hours. Jane, on the other hand, was wide awake. The temporary reprieve from her own mind now rescinded and she stared up at the ceiling. She had had several long days over the last week or so. From the Johnston case and shooting to finally speaking with Maura about Ben she had been through a lot. She had started out the morning with a new fiancée and a small hope that the days ahead of her would be calmer, smoother. But then came the conversation with Cavanaugh. And that burden was now invading her mind and keeping sleep from finding her.

The possible threat against Maura was bad enough. The thought made her uneasy and filled with concern but Jane was actually confident in her ability to protect her from harm. It would be difficult but she had saved her in the past and she knew she would be capable of doing anything to make sure Maura was safe. But when she also had to conceal that threat of danger not only from Maura but from everyone that made everything seem harder. And unfair.

Suddenly afraid that she restlessness would stir her sleeping lover Jane chose to slide out of bed to retreat to the kitchen. Slipping on lounge pants and a t-shirt she made her way towards the kitchen to only be greeted by a surprisingly awake dog and tortoise. She almost laughed out loud when she rounded the corner to find Jo playfully pouncing on Bass' shell and hopping off. The tortoise didn't seem to mind but then again Jane wasn't quite sure how to gauge the reaction of a tortoise that took an hour to cross a room. Clearly Jo was having fun. "At least one of us is enjoying themselves right now," she said to a startled pup that ran to her for attention when she heard her owner's voice. Bass retreated into his shell. Jane was convinced he wasn't her biggest fan.

She played with Jo for a few minutes, patted Bass on the shell trying to make nice and then fully retreated to the kitchen. She took out a bottle of water not really wanting coffee or caffeine in that moment. She leaned her down against the island in the middle of the kitchen and rested her head in her hands which were propped up by her elbows. She released a heavy sigh and let her mind drift back to her conversation with Cavanaugh.

"_Alright, I think we understand each other. So now for the bad news. Jane, we may have an issue that could put Dr. Isles in danger."_

_That very sentence had captured Jane's complete attention. She found herself staring at Cavanaugh waiting for an explanation._

"_I understand that you two are involved and I'll be honest with you. That is the only reason that I am even saying anything to you. If the brass had their way none of this would come out. But I think you need to know what might be going on because I personally think Dr. Isles could be facing a serious threat and someone needs to keep an eye on her."_

"_What is going on, Lieutenant?" Jane was almost holding her breath trying to figure out what possible danger there could be for Maura._

"_Clearly you are well aware of who Dr. Isles' biological father is. Hell the whole world seems to know that 'secret' now thanks to the press. So it should be no surprise to you that heritage carries with it certain level of potential danger. I mean, Jane, you tried to keep that all secret for two years for a reason. There are people out there that wouldn't think twice about trying to get to Paddy Doyle by using Dr. Isles."_

_Jane nodded. It was a fear she had lived with for over two years. The minute she found out who Doyle was to Maura she was worried that others would use that to exploit Doyle's apparent concern for Maura. She was temporarily pacified when Doyle had Tommy O'Rourke killed to send a message not to mess with his family but Jane knew then that reprieve was only temporary. There would always be another threat. She also really worried about it when Doyle was taken into custody after she had shot him. With Doyle off the streets if anyone thought he was turning state's evidence Maura could be the target of a 'shut up' message. She absolutely hated the fact that everyone knew about her connection to Doyle._

"_You said there was a possible threat. Please, tell me." Jane was surprised at the sound of desperation in her voice._

"_There has been some chatter overheard lately. We think there is going to be a major shakeup within the families for control. With Doyle in prison we believe some of the lesser family captains are planning to make moves to reclaim territory and power to take advantage of Doyle being out of direct communication and control. We think the plans could be as aggressive as trying to regain everything the Winter Hill Gang held onto until the mid 1990s."_

_Jane was slightly shocked. Her understanding of Irish mob history wasn't perfect but it was better than most. She knew of the Winter Hill Gang and even some of the details of how the McLean family had come to and then maintained that power. The most disappointing part that Jane was aware of was that the Family had help on the inside. Inside the FBI. Whitey Bulger had managed to turn his own FBI handler and Family got away with murder for years. And he used the FBI to remove any threats to his territory. Jane hated corruption but she especially hated crooked law enforcement agents on any level. She saw it as the utmost betrayal._

_Cavanaugh continued, "Where this gets complicated is what else is coming from the chatter that our inside sources have been hearing. And trust me Jane this gets very, very complicated. First, we are convinced that there is a mole inside the department. We think Doyle has had someone on the inside for quite some time. And I'm not talking about the IA division. I'm talking high command."_

_Jane just stared at him. She had seen her share of dirty cops but they were usually patrol officers or desk riders. Hell, she almost took the fall for the dirty IA detective that was working with Doyle to smuggle out guns from the evidence room at the station. The tone to what Cavanaugh was saying and his concern about secrecy before he would even tell her anything made her believe this wasn't some low level patrol officers or a mere detective. The position of the possible mole seemed to make Cavanaugh very nervous and that meant someone that quite possibly outranked even him._

"_How high up?"_

"_I don't know. But high."_

"_Do they know who it is?" Jane asked sensing there was something bothering the Lieutenant._

_Cavanaugh was quiet for a second and looked at Jane, "Personally I think they are very aware of who it is."_

_That admission shocked Jane on many levels. For a high ranking officer in the Boston Police Department to be dirty and for people in command to possibly know that identity made Jane nauseous. It clearly upset Cavanaugh too. How could the administration sit on this kind of information without forcing out the possible mole? But as Jane tried to wrap her head around what the lieutenant was saying she still had no idea how any of it involved Maura or a threat against Maura. Her patience running thin she decided to ask. "Sir, what does any of this have to do with Maura?"_

_He looked at her with sympathy. "Based on some of what we have heard and learned from our sources, there is a belief that someone may be plotting to target Dr Isles as a way of winning final control over Doyle's men and territory. It is believed that a motivated person trying to make a name for himself and quite possibly secure a position of power in the new regime is looking to use Dr. Isles' relationship with Doyle to his advantage."_

"_She doesn't have a relationship with Doyle, Lieutenant. She has been kidnapped by him once and held hostage by him once. That is the extent of their relationship. She doesn't talk with him. Outside the handful of times she saw him in the hospital after he was shot she doesn't associate with him."_

"_That may be true Jane but she is his daughter. Whether they speak or not the world now knows she can be a way to get to him. And from what I have been told, he actually cares for her a great deal."_

"_He doesn't know her. He's just a sperm donor!" Jane found herself almost yelling this. She was angry. Angry at Doyle. Angry at that world. Maura hadn't done anything in her life to deserve the heartache and issues that Doyle had already caused her in the two years she was aware of who he was. And now there was a new threat to her safety and Jane was just pissed._

"_Hey, calm down. I get that you are worried about her but getting mad at me isn't going to do you a damn bit of good."_

_Jane paused and took a deep breath. "I'm sorry, Lieutenant."_

"_Jane, I do understand. But you can't let this get to you otherwise you aren't going to be able to help her when she needs it. I think you know that Doyle's interest in Dr. Isles is more than fleeting. He had Tommy O'Rourke killed to try to protect her."_

_Jane was again a little surprised by what Cavanaugh had just said. It was common knowledge that Doyle ordered the hit on O'Rourke but Jane didn't realize that anyone outside Frost, Korsak and Maura knew it had been a message to the rest of the mob to stay away from his daughter. Jane had not turned over the photo of Doyle and Maura as part of any evidence. Most people assumed it was just Doyle exacting revenge for the loss of his son and to regain tighter control over the family. _

_Cavanaugh took in Jane's surprised demeanor. "Yes, Jane. There are people that know what the motivation was behind O'Rourke. Too many people know it was his attempt at protecting her. And to further complicate all of this, there are several people that know you were asked to tell Doyle it was O'Rourke that had Colin Doyle murdered. Too many people know about that cell phone Jane."_

_Jane turned a shade paler when Cavanaugh said this. How much did he know about all of this that he had never said anything? "Sir, I never made that call."_

"_I know you didn't. I know Frost and Korsak didn't either. And I know that Maura thinks it was you."_

_Jane just stared at him. "Sean?" She rarely ever called her boss by his first name but she had been so thrown by that comment that it just sort of happened. For his part, Cavanaugh didn't seem to mind but she was sure he had noticed._

"_Jane, despite what it may feel like sometimes, this is really a very small department. There isn't much that happens in any division that doesn't eventually make its way around the entire department. The good and the bad. With so many cops that have generations in their families that have been cops and cops marrying other cops, this world of ours is very small. And interconnected in every way. At every level. There are no six degrees of separation here Jane. We are lucky if there are two at the most._

"_That can be both a benefit and a curse. Information is power and in the hands of the wrong person it can have deadly consequences. There are some people that believe it was you that tipped off Doyle. I know you didn't. In fact I'm pretty sure the information was given to Doyle by our mole. I think he did it to gain favor with Doyle and that he will again use Maura and her ties to Doyle to gain favor with the new powers if and when there is a shift in the family._

"_That's the potential danger here Jane. Whoever tipped off Doyle did come from inside this department. When there is a shake up with the families that person has two possible options that could involve Maura. Option one involves using Maura directly against Doyle. Our mole may need to 'persuade' Doyle to either step aside or throw his support to a particular group or captain. That person can target Maura as his means of persuasion. Threaten to harm or kill her unless Doyle agrees to their demands. Option two is our mole, or possibly anyone in one of the families, can decide that their ticket to power and respect within a new regime is a demonstration of influence or power. They could decide to win favor with a new regime by killing the only daughter of Patrick Doyle. A hell of a way to 'make his bones' and it would seal the deal for him."_

_Jane took a minute to let everything Cavanaugh had said so far sink in. Maura could really be in danger. Jane had worried about all of this but had convinced herself that after O'Rourke was killed Maura would be left alone. The capture of Doyle and his custody may have in fact re-opened that threat. If someone thought she could be used to get at Doyle for either option she was a sitting duck. That thought turned her another shade paler and she stood up. She wanted to run down to the morgue and check on Maura. She had to see she was alright._

_Cavanaugh must have sensed what she was thinking, "Sit back down Jane. Maura is fine right now." Jane looked back him and not really knowing what else to do, she sat back down. "Jane, the brass will not let on that a high ranking official is possibly on the take. Like I said, I'm convinced at least three people know, or strongly suspect, who the mole may be. And the fact that they haven't made a move to remove that person from power tells me more than I wish it did at this point. It's high up the chain. Too high to be able to do anything about it right now._

"_My demand for absolute secrecy from you is because of this. I'm serious Jane. You cannot talk about this with anyone. And I don't trust phones or emails which is why I said you and I will only talk about this eyeball to eyeball. I'm pretty sure all your communication is being monitored by others. So there can be no hint about this in any phone conversation, text or email. I just don't trust who is watching anymore."_

"_Someone is eavesdropping on me?"_

"_Most likely yes. And Frost, Korsak and Dr Isles too. Plus me I suspect. Others who may be in a position to have or receive information as well. I'm all but convinced that your laptop activity is traced more frequently than the random checks the department does to make sure no one is using department technology for illegal activities. Jane I'm pretty sure you are high up on the watch list of a few people who have the power and the right to review everything you do. Some think you are a source for Doyle. Some think that your relationship with Maura connects you to him too. I think you are in some danger as well but I've always known you could take care of yourself. It's Maura that I'm worried about."_

"_So what, do I just get to sit back and wait for some dirty cop to take a shot at my fiancée?" _

_At that comment Cavanaugh did a double take. He knew that Jane and Maura were dating but he wasn't aware that it had progressed to a proposal. "Your fiancée?"_

_Jane dropped her head. Damn it! That had just slipped out. "Yes, sir. We are getting married."_

_Sean's demeanor picked up for a minute. "Jane, that's great. Really. I'm happy for you both."_

"_Thanks. But you can't say anything yet. I haven't even told my mother yet. It just happened so I need some time to tell some people, please."_

"_Sure thing. Your mother will be thrilled. She talks about you and Dr. Isles all the time." His smile was genuine._

_Jane had realized for quite some time that Cavanaugh had a thing for her mother. She was even pretty sure that her mother had a thing for Cavanaugh. Jane wasn't sure she wanted her boss involved with her mother but Sean was a good man and she wanted her mother to be happy. Somehow she'd find a way to deal with the two of them if they ever became a two of them._

"_But I'm serious Sean. What am I supposed to do about Maura? What kind of threat is it? When? How? How can I protect her if I don't know what is coming?" Her frustration level was rising again._

"_Look. I don't have a lot of answers right now. I'm doing everything I can to find out as much information as I can. I will promise you that as I learn things I will share them with you but you have to keep this from everyone. Frost and Korsak included. I'm not supposed to talk about any of this and if one of them even accidently let's something slip or texts something or emails someone something then all of us will pay the price and we won't be able to do a damn thing to help Maura._

"_I trust both Frost and Korsak don't get me wrong. But I'm afraid that any changes to routines or behaviors will tip off someone. I think they watch the three of you enough that even a subtle change could throw this the wrong way. Which is also why you cannot tell Maura anything right now. Jane you know she can't lie and she has a bad habit of actually answering any question that is asked of her. I don't think she would sit quietly by after hearing any of this and I can't let this information get that out of my control._

"_I trust you with this. And only you. Jane, you are the best detective I have ever worked with. Your instincts are excellent, your intelligence is higher than almost everyone in the department and your loyalty to the people in your life is remarkable. I have good sources inside of this to get frequent and so __far accurate information. But any change at all could cut me out of that information. I wouldn't ask you to deal with this alone if I thought involving others wouldn't ultimately hurt my access to information. _

"_When I get any details involving a plot or plan against Maura you and I will discuss that information and decide together how to handle it. That's the only way I can see this playing out right now. My understanding is that something within the families is still being planned. But that may take weeks. I don't think anything will occur until someone starts to shake up the family tree. It's after the limbs have fallen that we have to worry about how Maura may get involved in it all."_

"_So we wait?"_

"_For now that is all we can do."_

_Jane got up to leave. Before walking out the door she turned and spoke. "Sir...," she hesitated for a second. "Thank you." It didn't feel or sound like enough to convey what she was feeling._

_"Thank me by not making me regret that I just told you. I'm out on a limb here Jane and I think we both know it. Don't let me down."_

_"No, Sir," was all she managed._

_"Oh and Jane?"_

_"Yes, Sir?"_

_"Don't think I don't understand the burden this will be for you. I am sorry for that. If there was any other way right now I'd take it. You are going to have to pull this off without alerting her to anything. I don't envy your task." _

Jane took a slow sip of her water. She would protect Maura. She would do whatever it took. They had both been through too much and come too far to have anything come between them now. Jane finally felt like she had a chance at happiness and she wasn't going to lose that without one hell of a fight.

Cavanaugh had access to inside information and Jane had to trust that he would be able to tip her off to any solid leads. But, as she stood in Maura's kitchen, she knew that wasn't going to be enough. With her mind racing she knew she was going to have to take some steps on her own to ensure the safety of the woman she loved.

She finished her water and quietly returned to the bedroom. Maura was still dead to the world and Jane was just happy she hadn't sprawled out and claimed the entire bed like she had the tendency to do when she slept alone. Jane slid in beside Maura gently draping her arm across her waist. The scent of Maura always helped calm Jane's mind. She breathed her in and tried to will herself to get at least a few hours of sleep.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Three weeks had passed since Jane was first told about a possible threat to Maura. Three weeks. And every day for three weeks Jane woke up expecting that day to be the day that the shoe dropped. The day that there would be some change in the wind that would signal the beginning of trouble for her and Maura. But every one of those days for the last three weeks had been, for all intents and purposes, normal. Routine. Dull even. And it was driving Jane absolutely crazy.

For three weeks Jane had taken a renewed interest in all the events occurring in Boston. She watched the morning and evening news. In fact she bounced between the newscasts of Fox, NBC, ABC and CBS like the remote was on fire and she had to keep flipping through the channels to put out the fire. She'd sneak in a midday news session if she was at the station when they aired. Same routine there that she did at home. Constantly flipping from one station to the next. Never really listening to any of the details of a story just looking for a quick hit on what the content might be. After a week of this behavior, Maura just stopped asking her questions about what she was doing. She never got an answer that made any sense and it seemed like a harmless new quirk.

And then there were the papers. Maura was becoming convinced that Jane would singlehandedly keep the Boston Herald and the Boston Globe in business. She had seen Jane read the newspaper before but she had been used to Jane starting, and quite frankly finishing, with the sports section. And that was only if a paper was available. But suddenly there was a morning delivery of both the Globe and the Herald to her place and to Jane's apartment. Seven days a week. Jane simply pointed out she was enjoying reading the papers in the morning with Maura and since they still bounced between both locations frequently she hadn't wanted the papers delivered to the place they hadn't stayed at the night before.

If that hadn't been unusual Maura couldn't ignore the fact that Jane barely touched the sports section of either paper. She went straight to the local news sections first. Each paper. Every morning. Maura didn't know what to make of it. She knew enough to know Jane was looking for news about something. Between the bouncing around of the news casts and the newspaper reading it was clear Jane was looking for a story about something. Someone. But Maura couldn't get Jane to acknowledge even that much. So Maura too waited. Every day. But she was waiting to see some reaction from Jane at a story or a headline. Sooner or later she would catch Jane react to something. A reaction that would let Maura knew Jane found whatever it was she was looking for. And then maybe she would have a place to start trying to piece together the altogether odd behavior of her future spouse.

While Jane had the Herald and Globe delivered to both locations each day, that wasn't everything. Maura was witness to the news and the newspapers and Jane knew that was suspicious enough. She also knew she wasn't doing a stellar job covering her new interests in local events but Maura had been kind enough not to push Jane too hard on what she was looking for. Maura seemed to give up the questioning after about a week. Jane doubted Maura would be so patient if she knew about the rest of her ritual. The rest was observed by Korsak and Frost.

They were both at a loss to understand what she was doing too. For the first week they watched their partner stop at the newsstand two blocks from the station an hour after parting with Maura for the morning and return each day with a stack of newspapers: The Boston Phoenix, The Enterprise, The Beacon Hill Times, The Dorchester Reporter, The Cambridge Chronicle, The Charlestown Bridge, The Somerville Journal, The Mission Hill Gazette, The Chelsea Record, The Hype Park Bulletin, The Boston Irish Reporter. She didn't even really read any of them. She scanned through them. Scanned through them all. Finally after a week Frost tried to ask her what the hell was going on.

"Jane, seriously, what the hell are you looking for?" Frost offered up as the pile of discarded newspapers was mounting on the floor near Jane's desk. Korsak looked up from his report extremely interested in that answer as well. He didn't understand her behavior either.

"It's hard to explain Frost. I can't even say I know exactly what it is but I'll know it when I see it." That had become her new go-to answer when anyone tried to push her on this. And no one could get her to explain more than that.

"Damn it Jane, I think you are going a little nuts here. At least just look through these crappy papers on-line. You are wasting money for these papers, you aren't really reading them and you are filling up the recycle bins here like you are on a mission. All of these papers are available on-line for Christ's sake."

Jane hadn't really thought about that. That was a good idea but then she remembered what Cavanaugh said about her laptop being monitored and she suddenly knew that she couldn't use her laptop to look at the newspapers. That could tip someone off that she was taking a new interest in local, neighborhood news. But then she got paranoid about what Frost said about the newspapers and the recycle bins. What if someone noticed all the papers she had been buying and told someone else about it? Shit! Maybe she was going crazy. But, she did come up with a solution.

That same day Jane found herself in an Apple store purchasing a new iPad. She hated them. She had vowed never to own one. But she needed something that was hers and that wasn't traceable by the department. She even got a mobile Jet Pack that was password protected so she had access to her own mobile wireless signal and not the WiFi that was available from the BPD. She was that paranoid now about being watched. And for the last two weeks Frost and Korsak watched Jane each morning pull out her iPad, turn on her Jet Pack and finger scroll through every local Boston newspaper source. Looking for something not one of them could figure out.

Her conversations with Cavanaugh hadn't helped her unease. She lived up to her promise. She told no one that there was anything possibly brewing. She never mentioned a word in a text, or an email or on her cell phone. In fact she used all three as little as she possibly could. When they had spoken about this it was always in his office with the door closed. Always under the story of reviewing a deposition or a report on an active case. There had been only three such conversations so far. Each ended the same. Cavanaugh had nothing that indicated specific news about Maura. Just continued confirmation that there would be movement in the families soon for a potential new power shift within the mob's structure. And his continued promise that any information he got he would share with her and they would discuss what it meant together.

Three weeks of nothing but frustration for Jane. Three weeks of nothing but unanswered questions for Maura, Frost, Korsak, Frankie and Angela. The five of them had had enough. They had all seen enough to know something was going on that Jane wasn't sharing and they all wanted to get to the bottom of it.

So, the five all sat at a table at the Dirty Robber at the beginning of the fourth week. Jane was tied up in court on a previous case and Korsak had made the arrangements for the five of them to be able to come together to discuss what they thought it was and what they all might be able to do to help. Part of Korsak was surprised that it had taken this long for them to have their first official 'intervention' but it appeared to finally be needed.

"Alright, I think we all know why we are here," Korsak offered up and watched as all five nodded their heads. "I'm going first throw this out to the group. Does anyone have any idea at all about what she is looking for?"

There was silence. A few heads shook but it was clear no one really had an idea.

"It's like she's waiting for something to happen. An event of some kind. The way she watches the news or reads the paper. She waiting to see or read about something that has happened." Maura's observation was an astute one.

"I think you are right. I don't get the feeling that she even knows what she's looking for but she is looking for a sign that something has started or occurred or changed." Frost offered.

"But what?" asked Angela.

"She'll know it when she sees it," came in triple harmony from Frost, Korsak and Frankie. They all looked at each other and knew she had given them the same answer repeatedly.

"OK, let's be rational here. There had to be something that brought this on. I mean this is new behavior for her. Something had to have happened three weeks ago to set this off. Can anyone think of anything?" Korsak asked of the group.

They were all were quiet for a minute and thought. Three weeks ago a lot had happened but no one was sure any of it had anything to do with how she was behaving now.

"Anthony Johnston?" Frost volunteered. "That was three weeks ago."

"Yeah, but that doesn't seem to be behind this. That was a clean shoot. IA cleared her that night. Both you and she were fine. We ultimately resolved that double murder case and got a complete confession from Michael Craig once we tied him to the crime scene. Nothing tied to that case seems like it would be big enough to make Jane worried about some event occurring." Korsak had himself thought about Johnston but it just didn't make any sense.

Frankie looked over at Maura. She felt his eyes on her and she looked up to meet them. Instinctually she started to shake her head. The rest of the group noticed the interaction.

"What?" asked Korsak.

"It's nothing," Frankie stated quickly.

"Come on Frankie. This isn't the time to hold out on us," said Frost.

Frankie was a little panicked. He looked to Maura for help. Then they all looked at Maura.

"It's not 'that' Frankie," she stated slowly.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"Yes." She knew everyone was staring at her. "Look, I think we can all agree that what is going on with Jane this doesn't appear to be about her. She's not acting like she normally would if there was something bothering her about herself. You guys know how she gets when it's about her. Quiet, withdrawn, distant. That's not what this is. This is her trying to find something or worrying about something that hasn't happened yet. Frankie, 'that' was about her past. Not about tomorrow. She seems afraid of tomorrow right now."

"I think Doc is right," said Korsak. "This is something new and seems like it's about something that hasn't even happened yet. She apparently believes she knows something is going to happen. And every day is searching for signs that it has."

Angela cleared her throat and looked to Maura. "Is there any chance this is just Jane reacting to the wedding?" She didn't want to upset Maura but she had to ask.

Again, four sets of eyes turned to Maura. She had wondered that herself a few times. But she didn't think so. In fact, she felt quite the opposite was true. "I don't think it's a reaction to the wedding Angela. From what I have observed, the few times I've seen her relax and actually enjoy herself have been tied into the wedding preparations. I've been completely surprised by that but it's true. Whatever it is it's not about the wedding."

Angela thought about that for a minute. And realized it was true. Jane had been more involved in the planning of the wedding than she had anticipated as well. Jane was involved in setting the date and picking the location. She had opinions on the service and the reception. And she was even open to a few ideas Angela had suggested and honestly hadn't put up much of a fight except when it came down to the idea of her and a wedding dress. Angela tried, Jane fought and Maura wanted Jane happy. So no dress for Jane.

"Has anyone besides me noticed that Jane seems more than a little paranoid about using her laptop or cell phone?" asked Frost. "I mean, she barely sends text messages anymore and she won't surf the web unless she is using her iPad and on her mobile Jet Pack. Which, by the way, was something she once swore she would never own. It's almost like she thinks Big Brother is watching her."

"Maybe he is," Korsak answered and they all looked at him. "Maybe she got a tip about something that is supposed to happen. Maybe that's what she's looking for."

"But then why be afraid of using her cell phone or laptop?" asked Frankie.

"Frankie, all BPD issued equipment is subject to search. Histories, searches, emails, texts, calls. Everything. And not just the 'I'll take that and look at it' searches. IA can remote monitor every BPD issued computer in real time and shadow what anyone of us does. In fact they do it all the time. Maybe Jane is on to something. Something big and is afraid to tip off IA about what she's looking into. Maybe that's why she bought the iPad and mobile Jet Pack. They would have to get a search warrant to look at that. That's her personal property."

That made them all think. Maybe that was a start. Maybe Jane was investigating something she couldn't let anyone know about. But that was still a maybe and not an answer. They weren't any closer to figuring out what was going on with her. None of them seemed to have an answer and an answer was what they all wanted. But, they all knew the answer rested with Jane and someone was going to have to ask her. And secretly four of them knew who that someone had to be. The fifth one knew it too. She just didn't like it.

She felt the four sets of eyes on her again. She knew what they wanted. She knew before she sat down at the table that it would end with this as the outcome.

"Alright, I'll talk to her." And Maura did not look forward to that conversation one bit.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

"Vince, I'd like a word with you in private if you don't mind," Maura stated when it was clear the others were ready to head out for the night. All four felt guilty putting the burden of dealing with Jane onto Maura but all four believed if they were going to get Jane to talk Maura stood the only chance. The others filed out of the Robber leaving Korsak and Maura alone at the table.

"Doc I'm sorry you drew the short straw. But she only ever listens to you anyway. I doubt you are surprised by this."

"No, I knew coming here that in the end it would be my responsibility to try to figure this all out. I'll see what I can do. But, this isn't what I needed to talk to you about."

"Oh…what can I do for you?"

"I have a favor to ask. And before I do I want you to know that it's ok if you say no so don't think that you have to say yes just because I'm asking," she looked down and knew she was rambling.

"Maura, what can I do for you?" Korsak ask again with gentleness.

"I wanted to ask you if…would you consider….will you…" Three tries and she couldn't get it out the way she wanted it to sound.

"Maura?"

"Vince, I was hoping I could talk you into agreeing to give me away at the wedding," was finally how it came out.

Korsak was stunned. He hadn't expected that. He went to answer but was cut off by Maura.

"Vince, you've been a great friend to me and you've always been supportive of Jane and I. You mean a great deal to the both of us. I know you have known Jane longer than me but I've come to think of you as part of my extended family and with my father out of the picture I need someone to walk me down the aisle. Jane and I talked about this and we both couldn't think of anyone better to do that than you. You don't have to say yes but I'd like for you to at least consider it."

"I'll do more than consider it Maura. I'd consider it to be an honor. One I'd be happy to agree to. I'm touched that you even asked. That you both thought of me."

"Thank you. Your saying yes means a great deal to me. To Jane. We are both very happy that you will be a part of our wedding."

"Just tell me what you need me to do and I'll do it. I assume a tux fitting will be required."

"Um, I'm not sure about that yet. There are still a few details we are trying to work on and agree upon. But I'll know in plenty of time for that if that is needed."

"When is the wedding again? I know it's in December but I don't know if I remembered to write down the exact date."

"It's December 9th," and she smiled when she said the date.

"How did you guys end up picking that date?"

"It was a semi-compromise. I wanted December 12th but Jane had an issue with that so we settled on the 9th."

"What issue would Jane have with December 12th?" Korsak asked curious now.

Maura chuckled. "Apparently Jane is slightly more superstitious than she ever let on. Twelve is my favorite number. So I thought it would be perfect for us to get married on 12/12/12 but Jane immediately said no. I asked why and well she gave an interesting answer. She said 12/12/12 was too similar to 6/6/6 which was the Biblical sign of the Devil so she refused to consider it. Said something about it was just doubling the Devil and we didn't need to be tempting fate that way. And that was the end of that discussion."

Korsak laughed. "Really, Jane superstitious about numbers? Interesting."

"Well sort of. Twelve is my favorite number. According to several numerologists twelve is interpreted with a person that is somewhat of a perfectionist. But it also represents experience, wisdom and strength. So when she nixed the idea of 12/12/12 I asked what her favorite number was and she said it was nine. And according to numerologist it's a fitting number for Jane. Represents someone independent, generous, compassionate and rebellious. So we compromised and settled for 12/9/12."

"You two definitely make quite a pair Doc," he said with a smile.

"Yes we do. Vince, what do you really think she is looking for?"

"I think she has a tip or a gut instinct that something is going to happen. I have a feeling that she's keeping it from all of us for what she thinks is our own protection. She's avoiding work related technology so I think maybe she has a tip about a dirty cop. Or something along those lines."

Maura nodded and part of her hoped that was all it was really about. But most of her knew there was something more to it. And it was now up to her to figure out just what it was.

Jane finished with her court appearance early but didn't return to the station. Nor did she go home. Instead, she drove herself downtown and parked her car in a back alley. She had made this trip once a week since hearing from Cavanaugh. She looked around and made sure she wasn't followed. She wasn't. She hadn't been yet but she still looked. With the coast clear, she entered the abandoned building and waited. She knew she wouldn't have to wait long. He never kept her waiting.

"Vanilla!" came the deep, sultry voice. Despite her efforts, it made her smile.

"Rondo just get in here and close the door!" Every week it was the same thing with him.

"Right, right." He closed the door and approached her. "Damn girl! You are lookin' FINE! You know if you ever want to go back and bat for the other team again…I can help you out with that!"

"Damn it Rondo! How many times do I have to tell you to stop suggesting anything sexual to me?" But again, she laughed in spite of herself. Rondo was harmless and she knew it. He was also very well connected to the street and she needed his help. It was worth dealing with a little over the top flirting. She had hoped that once she told him she was involved with Maura her would ease up on the sex references but unfortunately that only seemed to increase them. Seems as if he had a thing for the good Doctor too and occasionally he even made suggestions about the three of them.

"Sorry Vanilla. But you know I can't help it."

"Try harder Rondo."

"Right."

"What do you have for me?"

"Right, right. Okay word on the street is that something is coming. And coming soon. You were right about that. I've kept my ears to the ground for you and for the last two weeks I haven't heard anything but then this time I do have some news for you. It looks like it's O'Donnell and his men that are going to try to make the move. From what I'm hearing they are going to make a push into Charlestown. Soon."

Mickey O'Donnell. A mid-level captain and very capable of initiating a move into Doyle's stronghold. The knot that seemed to have taken up permanent residence in Jane's stomach got a bit tighter. But she was at least glad she had some idea of which part of the family would make the move. She trusted Rondo's information.

"Rondo, are you getting any details at all? Any hints?"

"Vanilla, I've done told you all I know. And why do you have me checkin up on mob activity. You a homicide cop. They movin you out of homicide or somethin?"

"That's not important. What's important is if you can get me any details at all. I know what I'm asking here Rondo. I do. I don't want to get you tied up in mob dealings but I need help. I need you."

Maybe it was the look of desperation on her face. Or the desperate tone to her voice. Or maybe it was just the first time she ever told him she needed him and had meant him and not just his information. Something in the way she was talking to him made Rondo's entire demeanor change. His innocent flirtatious look changed to something very serious, very determined. He looked at her in a way he never had before. Like he was finally seeing her and not just a good looking lady to flirt with.

"Look. I know a girl. She's hooked up with O'Donnell's number two enforcer. She owes me a few favors. Give me a day and I'll see what I find out."

Jane looked at him. "Thank you. Meet me again tomorrow. Can you be here at 4 pm?"

"4. I'll see what I can do." Jane went to hand him over some money but he stopped her. "Save it Vanilla. This time this one is for you." And he walked out without another word.

Finally, some progress. But as Jane knew that also meant that things were progressing within the fire-keg that was the Irish mob. It looked like things were really going to start. And Jane had a terrible feeling about how it was all going to play out.

She exited the building and got into her car. She looked around and watched for movement. Still not seeing any indication that she was being followed she pulled out of the alley. She did two complete trips around the block and finally departed when she was convinced no one was following her. She had one more stop to make before she went home.

Twenty minutes later she pulled up to another vacant building. This was beginning to become a new habit for her and she didn't like it. Clandestine encounters with people in abandoned buildings always made Jane edgy. And it didn't help matters that she was without backup. She again made sure she hadn't been followed and entered the building to wait yet again.

As she waited she thought back to what had brought her to this location.

_Jane placed a soft knock on the office door and waited._

"_Enter." She smiled at the expected, normal greeting._

"_Do you ever just say 'Come in'?" she asked with a smile._

"_Now why would I do that? I like saying 'Enter'. I'm pretty sure most of my files finish that line in their heads with 'at your own risk'. That works for me." Messier looked up from his desk as he greeted Jane. "So what do I owe the pleasure of yet another visit from you Jane? I heard Michael Craig confessed. Sorry about the shooting. I was glad to hear you and Frost were ok. Like I always said you're my favorite homicide detectives."_

_Jane moved and sat down in a chair across from Messier. "Thanks for all your help. Violating Craig as fast as you did really helped us contain the issue. Johnston and Craig had another target planned so you definitely helped with keep someone alive."_

"_I'm glad I could help. I knew he was going to be an issue. I wasn't sure I had murder in mind but I knew it was going to be something."_

"_Messier, I need a favor."_

"_Name it."_

"_No, I need a really big, really off the record like I was never ever here favor." Jane tried to clarify that this was something more than information about a parolee or about a request to violate someone._

"_Rizzoli, name it."_

_Jane took a deep breath, "I can only assume that given your hundreds of case files you have come across a few people who have a knack for electronics. An understanding of hacking, encrypting and generally all things electronically illegal."_

"_I can think of a few people, yes," and he didn't hide his curiosity._

"_Jeremy I need a name. I need a name of someone I can reach that understands electronics. Then I need you to forget I ever asked you for that name."_

_Messier leaned back in his chair and looked at Jane. He had known her for many years and she had never asked him for anything like this. But as he looked at her there was something about the look in her eyes that told him she needed help. He stood up and went to his files. He opened a drawer and rifled through some folders and found the one he was looking for. He pulled it out and handed it over to Jane._

"_Just bring back my folder at some point. That's all I ask. You know how I am about my files."_

_Jane took the folder without looking at the contents. She would do that later. She wouldn't question Messier's judgment. She stood up and went for the door. Before leaving she turned, "Jeremy. I owe you." And with that she walked out of his office._

Messier had given Jane the file of a Daniel Black. No history of violence but he was a skilled electronics genius. Black was ex-military. Dishonorably discharged due to an attempted at hacking into the Department of Defense mainframe to try to change his pay grade. His arrests were all identity and financial fraud relatedaccording to the case file he managed to get caught only by pure chance.

Jane had arranged their first meeting the week Cavanaugh spoke to her. Black had been suspicious about meeting with a Homicide detective but when Jane explained what she wanted and that she had gotten his name from Messier he agreed to help her. Messier had been good to Black and had even helped him secure a job still working with computers by vouching for him with the company's owner. Black stated that if Messier trusted Jane then he would help her. She outlined what she wanted and needed and he said it could be done for the right price. Jane agreed and they were set to meet again today.

"Detective you sure do pick the oddest places to have meetings," called out Black from the shadows.

"Does that bother you?"

"No. But it says a lot about what you are hiding from."

"Well, that's my business now isn't it," Jane answered. "Do you have what we talked about?"

Black walked up towards Jane carrying a duffle bag. "I have it. And I brought a few extra things for you as well. I have a feeling you are going to need it all."

"Show me what you have. And then show me how to use it all."

They spent the next hour going through the various electronic items he brought her. He showed her how to use each device. How to install each and what each would do for her. He stayed long enough to have Jane go through each item until she was sure she could do it on her own.

"Alright, I think you have it. If you need anything more you know how to reach me."

Jane nodded and handed over an envelope of money. "Let's hope I don't need any more than this."


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Jane pulled up to Maura's house and saw that she was already home. It wasn't too late so Jane knew she didn't need to invent any excuses for where she had been. She hated keeping things from Maura and she was doing everything she could not to outright lie to her. She evaded some of Maura's questions and she was extremely vague about a few things but she had not yet lied. And she wouldn't. But she lived in fear of Maura asking a question she couldn't work around.

She pulled out a few items from Black's duffle bag that she was going to need. Placing the items in her pocket she got out of the car and entered the house. "Maura?" she called out.

"Upstairs," was the answer she received.

"Hey, I'm going to take Jo for a quick walk before I get unmotivated to do it," she threw out as Jo bounded for the door to greet her owner. She grabbed the leash, snapped it in place and petted the top of Jo's head. "One second girl," she said softly. She walked into the kitchen and placed a wrapped package on the counter. She walked back for Jo and called out, "I'll be right back but I left something for you in the kitchen." And she headed out with Jo.

Walking Jo was just an excuse. Jane was afraid if Maura had seen or heard her car pull up and Jane hadn't entered the house immediately she would either come outside or at least look out the window. So Jane decided it was better to go inside and then come back outside. Using Jo just made it seem natural. Jane did take Jo on a walk. Jo needed the exercise. But as she was returning and relatively sure Maura was not looking for her she stopped at Maura's car.

Reaching into her pocket she removed one of the two items she pulled from Black's duffle bag. Jane quickly looked up at the house and when she was sure Maura wasn't looking out a window Jane carefully placed the tracer underneath Maura's car. She made sure it was securely attached before standing up and looking around again. She then went to her car and pulled the other tracer out of her pocket and she proceeded to do the same thing.

Maura rarely ever drove Jane's car but on occasion she would. Jane wanted all the bases to be covered. She felt it was foolish that if she was going to go through the trouble of putting a tracer on Maura's car not to trace hers as well. Just in case. She stood up again and looked around. Now before she entered the house she was going to have to lose the guilty look on her face. She felt bad about this. She really did. She didn't relish the thought that it felt like she was spying on Maura but she knew it wasn't that. She needed to be able to find Maura if something happened and if putting a tracer on a car could possibly help her with that so be it.

With both tracers in place Jane took Jo back in the house. She unsnapped the leash and let Jo run off probably to find and torment Bass again. She walked into the kitchen and found Maura standing at the island. The wrapped package was in her hand but she had not yet opened it.

"Hi," she offered up. "What is this?"

"You do realize that it's customary for a person to actually open a gift to find out what it is, right? Otherwise what's the point of wrapping paper? Open it."

Maura smiled, "Always a smartass. I meant why am I getting a gift from you?"

"Oh. Well. Just because. Open it."

Maura opened the gift and found herself looking at a beautiful double heart diamond and emerald necklace. It was simple but eloquent. She looked back up at Jane who was smiling at her. "It's beautiful."

"I saw it the other day and it reminded me of you. So I wanted you to have it. I know it's not anything like the one my mother gave to you but I also know that you won't really ever wear that necklace outside of our wedding. So, I saw this which reminded me of my grandmother's necklace and I thought that you could wear this one more and it would remind you of the other one."

"Jane," Maura said with a slight catch in her throat. "It's lovely. Thank you." She leaned into Jane and kissed her. The kiss lingered and turned rather passionate.

Breaking away for air, "Wow, if that's what I get every time I get you something I may just come home with a gift every night," Jane said with a relaxed smile.

"Oh, you don't need a gift to get me Jane. You can have me anytime you want," and there was such seductiveness to her tone as she said that.

"How did I get so lucky?" and it seemed like a genuine question.

"I ask myself that about you every day. Help me with this will you please?" Maura handed Jane the necklace and turned so Jane could put it on her.

Jane placed the necklace around Maura's neck and secured the clasp. Before letting Maura turn around she lowered her head and gently kissed across Maura's neck following the path the necklace had taken. The touch of Jane's lips to Maura's neck made her release a soft moan and she leaned back into Jane who embraced her from behind. She folded her hands on top of Jane's. "I love you," she offered up.

"I would hope so Doc. You are marrying me." Jane lingered in the embrace for a few extra moments and whispered into Maura's ear. "I love you too."

Finally retracting from each other Maura turned and let Jane look at the necklace. It looked even better on her than in the box and even better than Jane had pictured. "You are a very beautiful woman Maura Isles," and she gently placed a kiss onto Maura's forehead.

That comment made Maura smile. She stepped into an embrace with Jane and they stood holding each other for a while. Finally Jane asked, "So, what are we doing for dinner?"

"I haven't done much since I got home. Would take out bother you?"

"Maura, this is me you are talking to remember?"

"Right. Take out it is. Pizza or Chinese?"

"Pizza is fine with me. Regina's?"

Maura nodded. Jane went to make the call for the pizza and Maura let her hand linger onto the necklace she now wore. This was what she couldn't understand about Jane lately. Clearly there was something going on with her but when they were together she was fine. Relaxed and comfortable and completely into the time they spent together. She had been more than surprised to discover Jane's romantic side as they had dated. As reserved and 'badass' as Jane was for others Maura got to experience a completely different side of Jane that she knew no one else got to see. Soft, sweet and incredibly romantic.

It was why she didn't believe any of Jane's behavior was related to the wedding. Jane was completely at ease and involved with all of the wedding plans. She didn't shy away from giving her opinions and she was reasonably open to the suggestions Angela or Constance would make. Maura had been fascinated that Jane had actually wanted almost everything Maura wanted. From the size of the guest list to ideas on the ceremony itself Jane really was close to being on the same page as Maura. And usually it was just Maura's attention to small details that separated what she and Jane said they wanted. But Jane liked and agreed to the overall concepts of what Maura had envisioned and the plans were coming along nicely.

Maura was getting closer to deciding on a dress. She had it down to three possible choices and had planned on having Angela and Constance help her decide this coming weekend. She liked all three so she was fine with letting 'The Mothers', as Jane had since dubbed the duo of Angela and Constance, cast the deciding votes. So Maura knew her dress would be selected by the end of the week. That left the dilemma with Jane and how to handle that.

Maura knew Jane would never agree to a wedding dress of her own so she didn't even try it. Constance tried and Lord knows Angela tried but Jane was adamant and Maura sided with Jane because she knew it wasn't worth the fight. It would have been one of the few fights she would have lost with Jane anyway. Normally Jane gave into Maura on everything, eventually, but Maura was convinced this was one line in the sand Jane wouldn't cross so she let it go. But that didn't mean it answered the question on exactly what she would wear. A suit was the leading option but then there was a discussion about style and color. It was beginning to feel more complicated than Maura finding a dress.

But Jane, to her credit, looked and listened and appeared as open about wardrobe, hair, makeup and shoes as she possibly could be for someone that absolutely hated all things wardrobe, hair, makeup and shoes. She really was being a trooper through the whole thing. And it was coming along quite well. The reception was all but planned with Maura easily securing catering and entertainment thanks to Constance's connections. Jane had surprised everyone with the idea for the location which was absolutely perfect as an idea. It took some doing and again another tap into the Isles connection that still adored Constance even after her divorce from Phillip. But the location was secured none the less and Maura actually took pride in the fact that it had been Jane's idea. The ceremony would occur on-site in the afternoon with the reception following about two hours later.

They still needed to discuss how they wanted to handle the vows but she wasn't too worried about that. Yes, all the details were starting to take care of themselves. Invitations were bring sent that very week. With Korsak agreeing to give Maura away the ceremony was now all but arranged. Jane had already asked Frankie to stand up for her as a 'Best Man' and he agreed without hesitation.

Maura smiled that the thought that in a mere two months she would be getting married to Jane. They still were fighting about living arrangements. Maura wanted to look for a new place and Jane wanted to just move into her current home. Maura wanted a new home that would be theirs from day one and Jane said she wanted to live in the place where they already had history. She wanted Angela to take over her apartment. They would figure something out in the end but that was probably the one place they seemed far apart on for a solution.

Jane had wandered back into the kitchen to confirm that food was on its way. Maura leaned against the counter and watched Jane raid the refrigerator. She knew she needed to talk to her about whatever was going on. She needed to find out what Jane was obsessed with finding. Or waiting to happen. She knew when she went to the Robber it would be her that had to push the subject. Ask the question. But standing in the kitchen that seemed easier said than done.

Normally Maura would let Jane come to her when she was ready to talk. And normally she did. It would take a day or two but eventually Jane would break and start talking to her about whatever was on her mind. And with Maura being convinced that this had nothing to do with Jane's past or possible even Jane herself, the fact that after three weeks she hadn't said a word made Maura a little uneasy. What was she trying so hard to keep from Maura and the others?

She had meant what she said at the Robber. Jane was afraid of tomorrow. Something was going to happen and it scared Jane. What scared Maura was that she knew what it took to scare Jane so this wasn't something small. Maura had a bad feeling that whatever it was meant danger of some kind and danger anywhere around Jane usually ended with Jane in a hospital bed.

Suddenly Maura realized that Jane had asked her a question she didn't hear. "I'm sorry, what did you ask?"

"I asked if you wanted a glass of wine with dinner. Are you ok?"

Maura nodded, "Yes. I was just thinking about something. Sorry. Wine would be nice, thank you."

"Where did I lose you?"

"Sorry, I was just thinking about some of the wedding plans," that had been true. She didn't define where in her thought process the wedding had been. "By the way, I spoke to Vince today and he agreed to give me away."

Jane smiled, "That's wonderful. Was he thrown that you asked?"

"A little bit. But it meant a lot to him that we did ask. His face lit up when he understood what I was asking."

"Understood? Uh-oh. Did you go all Google-mouth on him? You didn't give him the history of wedding ceremonies did you?" she asked playfully.

"No, I'll have you know I saved that lecture for just you."

"I remember. All two hours of it."

"Not true. I completed the history of wedding ceremonies with you on our drive to Marblehead and that's only a forty five minute drive. So it was not two hours."

"Then what did you do?" Jane asked as she chuckled.

"I fumbled the delivery. I wanted to ask him just the right way but then it didn't come out right," she said almost mad at herself.

"Maur, did you ask him?"

"Yes."

"And did he say yes?"

"Yes."

"Then don't worry about it. He said yes. That's all any of us care about."

Maura felt better after hearing that. Jane had a way with her was much as she had a way with Jane. Maura was about to say something else when Jane's phone buzzed.

Jane grabbed the phone from her hip and saw it was Frost. "Rizzoli," came her normal greeting. Maura watched as Jane nodded her head with the phone in her hand and she knew just by how Jane straightened up it was a new case. She expected her phone would be ringing next. "Text me the address. I'll head after I hear from you." And she hung up.

"New case?"

"Looks like it. Frost is en route and he is texting the address when he gets there. He isn't sure what is involved yet."

Ten minutes later Jane's phone vibrated an incoming text message. She knew there must be a body and this was the address text from Frost. "Looks like I'm up. You are probably next." Maura was already fishing out her phone to be able to answer so she didn't quite notice Jane's initial reaction to the message that did come across her phone. Her phone rang and she had turned away from Jane to answer, "Dr. Isles." It was her call to the scene as well.

She turned back to Jane to confirm there was work to do and all she saw was Jane staring at her phone and Jane was about three shades paler than she had been a minute ago. And then Maura knew. Whatever Jane had been waiting for, whatever Jane had been afraid was going to happen. It had just happened. Tomorrow was here.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

"Jane? What is it?" concern was etched all over Maura face.

"Um…just the text from Frost. I assume that was your call to come as well?" she fumbled through the sentence horribly. The address Frost had sent over was for Charlestown. Based on what Rondo had said this afternoon she knew without even getting to the scene that this would have Irish mob written all over it. The first move. O'Donnell was really going to try to make a move. Could this really be happening? As ready as she thought she was for all of this to start, she suddenly knew she wasn't ready at all.

"Jane." Maura had been trying to get her attention away from the phone.

Jane finally looked up at her but she couldn't really maintain eye contact. "We have to go." She grabbed her car keys and headed for the door.

"Jane." Maura tried again with a little more force.

Jane froze as her hand reached the door. Without turning around she answered, "Maura please. Don't ask me anything right now. I refuse to lie to you so please, for me, just don't ask right now."

Maura was first taken aback by the desperate tone in Jane's voice and then by what she had actually said. It was as close to an admission that there was something going on as she had gotten in almost a month. "Alright. For now. But we have to talk about this."

She watched the back of Jane's head slowly nod and then she heard a whispered "Thank you" and watched as Jane walked out of the house. She leaned up against the counter and released a breath. Unfortunately, she knew she was going to get her answers. And based on Jane's reaction she knew she wasn't going to like any of it.

Jane drove herself to the address Frost had sent to her. She did her best to pull herself together before she pulled up to a restaurant on Bunker Hill St. She took a deep breath before exiting the car and prepared herself for confirmation of her biggest fear.

"Hey Jane," Frost acknowledge. "Doc driving separate still?"

Jane nodded. "What do we have?"

"Two victims. GSWs to the head. Looks like small caliber. Multiple witnesses all saying the same basic story. The two victims were inside having dinner when a dark colored Cadillac Escalade with dark tinted windows pulls up, two white males both approximately in their mid 40s exit and enter the restaurant, no more than thirty seconds later two shots are heard and the two males walk back out, get into the Escalade which then drives off going north on Bunker Hill St."

"Any plates for the Escalade?"

"No. The plates were removed from the car. But we'll have plenty of surveillance video to be able to look at," and Frost pointed up at the traffic cameras up and down Bunker Hill St. Also, there are at least three possible outdoor cameras for the immediate area that we may get lucky and get video. Uniforms are making inquiries as we speak."

"Okay. Let's take a look inside."

They walked into the restaurant and slowly approached the table where the two victims had been sitting. It was clearly head GSWs and Jane was already guessing that it was a .22 caliber for both. It looked as if both were caught completely off guard by what happened to them.

"It looks like a hit Frost. Do we have ID on either victim yet?"

"Yeah. Victim #1 is Sean Murphy he's 46 years old and Victim #2 is Patrick Riley also 46 years old."

"Alright, let's find out from Organized Crime if Murphy and Riley are part of any of the known families. They are going to need to get involved in this early on anyway if this was a hit. There could be some movement in the families starting."

Frost scribbled a few notes and comment. "It does feel like a hit. I'll reach out to OC and see what they have heard lately."

He started to walk away and ran into Maura. "Hi Doc. Jane and our Vics are around the corner."

"Thank you." And Maura walked towards the bodies. She quickly noted Jane was staring at the victims' table. The color had returned to her face and she looked rather calm and collected. But Jane could always enter into her work mode with ease. "Hey," Maura offered quietly to test the water.

"Hey Maura. Two victims. Both are 46 years old. Clearly there are GSWs to the heads. Looks like they were taken by surprise."

"Why do you say that?"

"Well, besides the fact that they were eating dinner. Both are armed," she pointed to the shoulder holstered firearms each carried, "and neither even undid the snaps on the holsters. They never had a chance to make a move for their guns. So I'm going to go out on a limb and say that they were ambushed. Witnesses said the shots happened less than thirty seconds after our shooters walked into the restaurant."

Maura nodded and approached the table to get a better look at the victims. After several minutes she straightened up and let the CSU team finish taking the necessary photographs. "I don't see anything too out of the ordinary. I agree with you about being taken by surprise. There appears to be no evidence of a struggle and there aren't even any defensive wounds suggesting that neither even pulled up their hands to protect themselves. I'll let CSU finish documenting the scene and I'll head in to do the autopsies."

"Maura, you don't really need to start the autopsies tonight. That can keep until morning. I have a feeling the only thing you are going to be able to get is the bullet fragments and confirmation that it was a .22. That can keep until morning. But thanks for offering to do them tonight."

"It does appear to be a .22. Are you sure you don't want me to do the autopsies tonight?"

Jane nodded. "Confirmation tomorrow will be sufficient enough."

"Ok. I'll follow the van back and I'll see you at the station?"

Jane nodded again. She needed to finish up at the scene and then figure out what Frost found about the surveillance video. Also, she needed to speak with OC and she wanted to do that in person. And then she needed to see Cavanaugh. Tonight.

Maura left with the victims and Jane found Frost. Two of the three possible outdoor video surveillance options had some video available and they would get copies of that in the morning. Frost had also already placed the request the traffic camera footage and expected to have that for the morning to review as well. Frost had home addresses for both victims and they needed to do notifications.

They arranged to meet back at the station. Korsak was on his way in and was setting up a meeting with Organized Crime to get some background on Murphy and Riley. It was clear to Frost and Jane that both were Irish mob. Only question Jane had was which family and whether OC would hint at all to what Jane already knew. This was the first shot. The war was about to begin. The knot in Jane's stomach twisted tighter and she had to fight the sudden urge to throw up.

Both Jane and Frost made their way back to the station. The plan was to talk to Korsak, meet with OC and then handle the family notifications. As Jane was heading with Frost towards the elevator she noticed Cavanaugh in the café. Instead of riding up with Frost Jane excused herself and told Frost she was going to get coffee for all of them and she would be up in a second. He nodded and took the elevator. Jane walked over into the café.

Jane ordered three cups of coffee from Stanley and stepped aside. Cavanaugh approached her as she waited. "Rizzoli," he greeted.

"Lieutenant," she replied with formality.

Under his breath he started to speak. "It was a hit. I think it's starting."

Jane nodded. "It was definitely a hit. I need to know what family the Vics were from. Korsak set up a sit down with OC. Are we staying point on this?"

Cavanaugh nodded. "For now, yes. No one is going to want to make a big deal out of one hit yet so it will stay with Homicide. But OC will be all over everything. You can let them do the notifications tonight. They want to meet the families and see if anyone wants to share anything useful. I didn't see the harm in agreeing to that."

"That's fine with me. Frost and I can work the surveillance on the Escalade but the plates were removed. And you know the guns will be dead ends. Both will be throwaways. All I really care about right now is which family Murphy and Riley worked for." Jane looked around and lowered her voice as low as she could. "Sean, it's O'Donnell."

He looked at her with some surprise. He shouldn't have been surprised though. He had a feeling she was going to look into all of this the minute it involved Maura. "Jane, you are even better than I gave you credit for. I won't even ask how you know this. But I will trust that you are right." He also looked around before speaking again, "Any idea on which option is in play for Maura yet?"

"No. That's why I need to know which family O'Donnell targeted first. That will tell me a lot."

Cavanaugh nodded. "I'll see what 'other' information I can get. I'll be in touch." Jane nodded. Cavanaugh was about to walk away and Stanley was delivering Jane's three coffees but he turned and re-approached Jane. "Don't mention anything to OC about O'Donnell. Don't tip your hand. Play this like you have no clue except it smells like mob. Jane, I don't trust OC at all." And with that he walked away.

Jane took the coffee and headed up to the bullpen. Frost and Korsak were chatting and clearly waiting for Jane to join them. She passed out the coffee. "When is our sit down with OC?"

"In about five minutes. They are bringing in Connors," Korsak said.

"Connors? Really. Interesting. He normally doesn't come out after 5 pm. Our victims must have some status," Frost commented.

Jane sat at her desk and fidgeted. "He just wants the press attention. Let him have it."

Korsak looked at Jane. "What are you thinking?"

"It was a hit. But I don't know what family they were from and I don't know who ordered it. I'd like to have OC tell us that but I doubt that they will. If Connors is coming in then our Vics definitely were connected and connected to a family big enough to make him leave his house after 5. Frost isn't wrong about that. We won't see anything on the surveillance and you and I both know those guns are throwaways."

Korsak nodded, "When will Maura complete the autopsy?"

"I told her not to worry about it until tomorrow. The bullet fragments and confirmation of it being a .22 will be all she gets anyway. I'm assuming its two separate guns, one from each shooter, but that can be confirmed by her. She was going to secure the bodies and then head home. We should have her initial reports by lunchtime tomorrow."

Five minutes later Frost, Korsak and Jane made their way to the conference room on the 5th floor. They got there just after OC had arrived. They all filed in and Sergeant William Connors requested a status update from Homicide. Jane let Frost do the honors. Frost gave the run down on the details and provided the identifications and some initial photos for OC.

Korsak asked the first question from Homicide. "So, Murphy and Riley work for which family?"

Connors had one of the detectives pass out a family tree to the Homicide side of the table. This was what Jane had been waiting for. She took a look at the top of the family tree and saw which family the Vics belonged to. O'Donnell was making a move on the Denegal family. This was not what Jane wanted to see.

If O'Donnell was going after the Denegal family it meant that he was attempting to amass power by targeting the lesser families first. Jane had been hoping that O'Donnell would start of O'Rourke's family as that seemed like the most likely option for Doyle to throw support to O'Donnell and maybe avoid involving Maura altogether. O'Rourke had killed his son so anyone going after his family stood a chance at getting support from Doyle. But it was clear the O'Donnell didn't want Doyle's support. He wanted Doyle's territory. And that was not good for Maura.

It looked like O'Donnell was going to try to take control of everything that Doyle didn't control and then he would make the move for Doyle's territory. She could almost guess the order to which this would play out too. First Denegal. Then Danny Flannigan. Then what was left of Tommy O'Rourke's family and then Doyle. If O'Donnell could amass it all he would in fact regain what the Winter Hill Gang had held onto for years and he would become the single most power mobster in Boston. And Jane knew he was going to use Maura to finish off Doyle.

Jane had paid no attention to Connors as he talked. She was flipping through the pages of the family trees he had passed out and let her mind wander over what she thought would soon play out in the streets of Boston. So wrapped up in her thoughts she hadn't realized that Connors had asked her a question until Frost kicked her under the table to get her attention.

"I'm sorry Sergeant I was reviewing the family trees. You had a question?"

"I was asking if you would mind if my detectives did the notifications for Murphy and Riley. There are a few targeted questions we would like to be able to ask them and the notification will be our only chance."

"No, we don't mind at all. Frost has the addresses of both next of kin. Both Murphy and Riley were married with children." Frost handed over the information that had on next of kin for both to Connors.

"Thanks," acknowledged Connors. He seemed a little surprised Jane hadn't put up a fight about notification. Korsak seemed a bit surprised as well. "Anything else Homicide needs from us tonight?"

"No." Was Jane's simple response.

Connors nodded and the meeting was finished. He reached the door before Korsak caught his attention. "Bill, do you think this was a sanctioned hit or a power grab?"

"Vince, it's just too soon to tell at this point."

"You don't have any intel on if something is going on?"

"None that I am aware of at this time."

Jane almost snickered at the standard bureaucratic answer that Connors gave. He knew what was about to happen.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Korsak managed to wait until they were walking back to the bullpen before he cornered Jane. "What gives Rizzoli?"

"What?" she asked genuinely not sure what he wanted to know.

"Why did you give up the notification to them without even a fight?"

Jane did not want to hint that she had spoken to Cavanaugh. "Let them do it. Korsak, you and I both know that this is going to get thrown over to OC by the time it's all said and done. As soon as there is a retaliation hit this case will fall to them. They might as well do the leg work and they can handle the notifications."

Korsak thought for a minute. "What do you know Jane?"

Jane's heart skipped a beat. "What are you talking about?"

"You seem convinced this is a power grab and not a sanctioned family hit. You never even tried to ask Connors what he thought it was and you gave up the notification because you expect a retaliation hit. What do you know?"

"I don't know anything Vince. It's just a gut feeling. And Connors wasn't going to tell us anything anyway. You heard him. Standard bureaucratic bullshit. Do you think this was a sanctioned hit or do you think this is a power grab?" Jane hoped that throwing it back to him she would avoid more questions. She hated lying to him.

"I think it's a power grab," he conceded.

"See, you have the same gut I do," Jane said and then smiled and pointed. "Although mine's in a little better shape than yours."

"Hey! That hurts Jane. I pass the yearly physical."

"True, but when was the last time you didn't freak out about the yearly physical two weeks before you had to take it?"

He went to say something but couldn't think of a good comeback. "Thanks," was all he got out with sarcasm.

"Come on, let's go look at the video surveillance and see just how invisible a Cadillac Escalade can be." And they returned to the bullpen to help Frost review the surveillance footage.

About an hour later Jane was somewhat surprised to see Maura enter the bullpen. "What are you still doing here?" she asked.

"I decided to start the autopsies tonight. I was here so I started. Here are the initial reports for both. Not much of a surprise for either. Single GSW to the head. You are right about the caliber. Both were .22s. However, it does appear based on my initial review of the bullet fragments that there were two separate shooters. Ballistics will confirm that in the morning though."

Jane flipped through a few pages and nodded. It was exactly what she had expected Maura would find. "Maura, thanks for this."

"Are you going to be able to leave soon?" she asked. She wanted to talk to Jane about what was going on and she knew that conversation wouldn't happen at the station.

"I'm almost done here. I'll need to finish reviewing some of the video surveillance and with these initial reports I need to do a follow-up with Connors in OC. But everything else can wait until tomorrow. I may need a couple of more hours though."

"I'm going to head home then. But I will wait up for you." She didn't hide the tone behind that statement. And from the look that flashed across Jane's face, she knew Jane got the message. She said good night to Korsak and Frost and she headed out.

Jane knew she was going to have to deal with her when she got home. But she couldn't even dwell on that. She had a few more pressing things to handle before she could even begin to worry about what was going to be waiting for her at home.

"Alright guys. We've seen enough to know there is no way we are going to get a better description of the car than what we have. Black Cadillac Escalade. With the plates removed we aren't going to get identification from the footage or the car. We'll have footage from the two outdoor sources that may help us get a look at our shooters but that won't be ready until tomorrow. I'm going to hit the gym for a quick workout and after that I'm going to run this initial report from Maura up to Connors. Then I'm going to call it a day."

"You've got too much energy for me," Korsak commented. "I'm heading home. I'll see you both in the morning."

"I'll join you in the gym Jane," volunteered Frost. "That's not a bad idea."

"Vince, you can join us too you know. Start earlier than two weeks before the next physical?" she asked with a playful grin on her face.

"Ha-ha. I do just fine thank you. Good night," and he grabbed his jacket and huffed out the door.

Jane turned to a chuckling Frost, "I'll meet you down there. My workout stuff is in my car." The two separated and Jane made the trip down to her car. She grabbed her workout bag but before leaving the car she looked around and made sure she was alone. Not seeing anyone in the garage she unzipped Black's duffle bag. She fished around in the bag and removed three items and concealed them in her workout bag. She hid Black's duffle bag in her car again and headed for the gym to meet up with Frost.

Jane and Frost worked out for about forty-five minutes. Jane mostly ran on the treadmill deciding to work on cardio and she was really just trying to have some time to think through everything that she still had to do and think about what she knew was still to come. Frost hit the weights and the heavy bag. They chatted casually throughout the workout and Jane did her best not to arouse Frost's suspicions. Towards the end of the workout Frost offered to handle delivery of the report to Connors.

"Thanks Frost, but I got it. I wanted to ask Connors a question anyway. I doubt he'll tell me but I want to see if he knows who ordered the hit."

"He won't tell you that. Even if he knows. Plus, it's well past his bedtime. He won't still be here."

"I know but I want to try to ask just the same. Maybe he stayed to get more details about tonight."

"Suit yourself. But don't bet on running into Connors again this evening. I'll see you in the morning. We should have the surveillance video by then. Night."

"Good night," and Jane headed to the locker room for a quick shower. Showered and changed Jane took out the items she removed from Black's duffle bag and placed them in her pocket. She then went to the bullpen and grabbed Maura's initial lab reports and headed over to OC.

She got off the elevator and walked towards the Organized Crime division and nodded a greeting to several detectives. She rounded a corner and approached Connors' office door. She held her breath when she knocked. She needed for him not to be inside. She was greeted by silence. She turned and flagged down the attention of one of the detectives.

"Hey Jackson, is Connors still here? I have a couple of reports for him."

He looked up and smiled at Jane. Jane vaguely registered the lustful look he gave her but then thought she could use that to her advantage for a minute so she tried to playfully bat her eyes at him. Shameless she knew but she needed that right now. "I'm pretty sure he went home after your meeting with him earlier," he answered not trying to hide the sarcasm about Connors going home. His own division knew he didn't work past 5 pm if he could help it.

"Mind if I drop off these reports then? I need to head out and he'll want to see these first thing in the morning." And she quietly crossed her fingers.

"Go ahead. I don't think the door is locked."

Jane tried the handle and it was in fact unlocked. She entered the office and let the door close. She had to hope Jackson wasn't going to notice she didn't come out right away. She walked over to Connors' desk and placed the files on his desk. She then walked around his desk and found the hard drive on his PC. She turned the back of it towards her and pulled out one of the items she removed from Black's duffle bag. It was a small USB thumb drive only about an inch in length. She quickly located an open USB port on the back of his PC and she inserted the drive into the port. She replaced the PC in its original position and she stood back up. She looked around and then quickly exited Connors office. _One down, two more to go_ she thought. Jackson wasn't at his desk when she exited which made Jane feel better. She walked away towards the elevators.

Jane rode the elevator down to the morgue and headed straight to Maura's office. This placement was easier to do. Probably the easiest of the three. No one questioned Jane's presence in the morgue or in Maura's office. She really did have the run of the place. She walked into Maura's office and went straight to her computer. She removed another of the items from Black's duffle bag. This was also a USB thumb drive but it was slightly longer than the one she used on Connors computer but they had different functions and definitely different purposes. Jane quickly found an empty USB port on the back of Maura's PC and she inserted the thumb drive into the port. She also returned the PC to its original position and stood again to walk out of the morgue. _Just one more _she thought again. But the next one would be the hard one.

Jane took her last ride in the elevator for the night. Two down and one last drive to install. She didn't really have a plan for this one. She was just going to have to wing it given what obstacles would face her when she arrived at her location. She didn't spend any time there so she really didn't know what to expect from a planning standpoint. She would just have to try her luck. If nothing else, the attempt would give her an idea of the layout if it didn't happen tonight she could be in a better position to plan something for tomorrow.

She got off the elevator and made her way to the Command Center that was on the first floor. It was later at night and that was working in Jane's favor. There didn't seem to be too many people milling about. As she made her way towards the middle of the Command Center she was looking around. One she needed to find the bank of computers Black had told her to be on the lookout for and two she needed to watch out for anyone who might question her presence in the Center. She didn't see anybody but she did find the bank of computers she was looking for.

A little nervous as she approached the bank of computers she looked around again and didn't see anyone in the immediate area. She quickly pulled out the last of the three thumb drives she had removed from Black's duffle bag and again her eyes darted all over the room. It was now or never so she took a deep breath and as quickly as she could she took her hand and placed it behind the first computer in the bank of hard drives blindly feeling around for an open USB port. She found one and quickly placed the last thumb drive in her hand and she tried to place the drive in the port. She failed on her first attempt. Her hands were a bit shaky. She took a deep breath and tried to steady her nerves. She tried again and on her second effort she managed to push the drive into the port. She straightened up quickly once again and stepped away from the computer banks.

As she got close to the door to walk out she heard a noise behind her. She knew there was someone else now in the Command Center. She quickly turned and reversed her momentum to make it appear as if she was walking into the Center and not trying to walk out. She calmed her nerves and looked up and was expecting an officer or a commander. Instead, it was a janitor. Jane released a quick breath and just turned and left the Center.

All three drives were now in place and now she had to hope that they would do what Black promised that they could do and that they would help Jane in what she was trying to get done. She had tempted fate enough for one day. Now it was time to head home and face Maura. Part of Jane knew that her Mission Impossible style antics inside BPD were a piece of cake compared to what she was going to have to handle when she got home.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Jane pulled up for the second time to Maura's place that day. She didn't look forward to the conversation she was about to have but she wasn't going to avoid it. She put the car in park. She once again popped her trunk open and for the third time that day she unzipped the duffle bag from Black and she removed several more items. Those she added to her workout bag and then she headed into the house. The lights were on in the kitchen and Jane knew before her hand hit the door that Maura was there waiting for her.

"You're home sooner than I figured," she said as her greeting. Jane had guessed two hours and it had only been about an hour and a half.

"We gave up on the surveillance video until tomorrow and Connors from OC had already gone home after our first meeting. So Frost and I hit the gym for a quick workout and now I'm home."

"Are you hungry? I can heat up some of the pizza for you if you would like."

Jane absolutely hated how polite Maura got when she was upset with her. They both knew a conversation was waiting to be had and while Jane appreciated the fact that Maura never immediately pounced on her when she walked through the front door she really didn't want to eat pizza waiting for the questions to start flying.

"I'll eat something a little bit later," she answered. She put her workout bag down and she went the rest of the way into the kitchen. She pulled up a bar stool next to Maura and sat down. She looked over at Maura. "So, I owe you some answers, don't I?"

For Maura's part, she was slightly relieved that Jane was willing to start the conversation. She had spent the last hour and a half trying to figure out counter arguments to the evasions and deflections she tried to imagine Jane would throw out at her just to prepare herself for their talk. Jane's opening comments made her believe that maybe this time she would come clean with whatever it was that was going on. "You don't owe me anything Jane. But I'd like to think you trust me enough to talk to me about whatever has been bothering you."

"Maura, I do trust you. With everything. It has never been about not trusting you."

Maura nodded her head. "If I ask you, will you tell me?"

Jane was quiet for a minute. She reached over and took Maura's hands in hers. "I won't be able to tell you everything. At least not yet. But I can tell you as much as I can. I'm just going to have to hope that's good enough."

"That's all I'll ever ask of you. What have you been waiting to happen? I've sat back and watched you for weeks now. The newscasts, the newspapers, the Internet scrolling on your iPad. You are looking for signs of something. What is it?"

"Which one told you about the iPad, Frost or Korsak?" Jane asked but without a hint of surprise. At this point she figured she had been the topic of several conversations between her partners and Maura. Angela and even Frankie probably figured into the mix as well. It didn't matter if Maura answered but she was curious.

"Frost first. Then Korsak. We are all just worried Jane. What are you looking for?"

"I've been looking for any sign that the status quo is changing. In Charlestown, Somerville, Dorchester, South Boston. I've been waiting to see or read or hear that it's starting."

"That what's starting?" But then Maura let the neighborhoods run through her head again. Charlestown, Somerville, Dorchester, South Boston. "A mob war?" She asked but it was more like an answer than a question.

Jane nodded her head. "For three weeks I've been waiting and watching for any sign that a war was starting. I got a tip that there was going to be movement in one of the families. A possible attempt to consolidate power."

"A tip? Can you say from whom?"

"Not right now. I'm sorry about that. But it's really better that I don't answer that question at this time."

Jane had decided that she was going to try to tell Maura everything she could without indicating that Maura was involved at all, that Doyle was a factor or that it was Cavanaugh that had tipped her off. If Maura was willing to let some questions just go unanswered Jane felt she could still keep Maura in the dark about the things Jane didn't want her to know but also not lie to her about the situation. It was the best that she felt that she could do.

Jane was convinced that if Maura knew that she was involved at all or that Doyle had anything to do with what Jane was dealing with Maura would get herself even more involved. Jane felt that Maura would attempt to see Doyle or to intervene in some way and she was convinced that would make the target on her back even bigger. Jane wanted Maura to stay completely out of this so she was going to try to throw the focus towards the lesser of the two evils. The BPD mole.

"Ok. Why are you dealing with a mob tip? Shouldn't Organized Crime handle those? Or the FBI?"

"Normally, yes. But the tip came to me not to OC or the FBI. And there is a possible problem."

"What's the problem?"

"Maura, if I answer that I have to have your word that you won't repeat it to anyone. Not your mother, my mother. Not Frost or Korsak. Not Frankie. No one. Promise me you won't repeat any of what I'm about to tell you."

"I promise." As she inched closer to Jane.

"Part of the tip involved the possible existence of a mole inside the department."

"A mole?" and it was clear Maura didn't immediately understand the term.

"A dirty cop, Maura. Only not an officer. Not a detective. A dirty high ranking commander."

"Oh," she said and then thought about it. "Oh!" And Jane could tell it was sinking in with Maura. "So what does all of this have to do with you?"

"The tip was never about anything specific but just a warning that there was going to be movement in the families. So I've been waiting and watching. Without any actual activity there wasn't anything I could really do about what I'd been told."

"And now? The Charlestown murders tonight. That's the start, isn't it?"

"I think so, yes." Jane took a deep breath. "I think it's the start of a power play. One of the families is starting to try to assert themselves to gain power."

"So now what? If this is starting what happens next?"

"I honestly don't know. A lot depends on who was responsible for what happened in Charlestown tonight. Right now it could just be one isolated incident. If there is no retaliation then it looks like we will escape a major headache as there won't be a major shakeup."

"But you don't believe this is an isolated incident."

"No, I don't. I fully except a retaliation hit within the next 48 hours. When and if that happens both tonight's case and that one will be turned over to OC for their division to be the point for investigating. At some point the FBI will also get involved if they aren't already looking into it."

"Okay, I follow all of that. What I don't understand is the dirty cop part. Where does that fit into all of this? And why haven't you said anything to me sooner? Why are you keeping this from me? I've been asking you for weeks about what you were searching for on the news and you haven't bothered to answer me."

"There's a lot about this I can't really tell you right now. Again, I am sorry. But with the person ranking as high as they have been alleged that person has the potential to feed a family information on the investigation, information on the other families and quite possibly can be in the position to interfere with any investigation completed by BPD. On top of that it is believed that there are people that know who the mole is but aren't doing anything to expose him or her. BPD does not want this out that there may be an inside connection with the mob. They don't want what happened with the Winter Hill Gang. That was an FBI screw up."

"Jane, are you being asked to investigate who this mole is?" Maura asked in a quiet tone.

Jane wasn't really being specifically asked to investigate who the mole was. Cavanaugh never made that request of her. But Jane had taken steps over the last few weeks to start that very process. She needed to know who it was because she had become convinced that finding the mole may be the only way she could end the threat to Maura's safety permanently. In fact everything that she had done at the station tonight was directly related to her plan to find out who the mole in the department was.

"Maura…" Jane quietly said her name.

"Can't really answer that right now, can you?" but when she said this she had not anger but understanding in her tone.

"All of this….it's just really complicated right now."

Maura thought for a minute. She then looked at Jane and could appreciate that Jane was trying to tell her what she felt she could. "I only have one more thing I want to ask and then I'll let this all go for the time being."

"Ok."

"Why haven't you at least involved Frost or Korsak? You know that they both would do anything for you."

It was a legitimate question. "It goes back to the nature of the tip I received. All I will say is that I'm being watched. Email, text, cell all of it is being watched. By the mole and maybe others. It's just not safe to bring in Frost or Korsak right now. Just like it's not safe for you to be involved in this. But I will tell you what I can. I love you and I don't want secrets between us.

"I find myself stuck in this situation. I don't want to keep things from you but there are also things I just really can't tell you right now. I'm going to ask you to trust me for a little while with this and trust that I'm doing what needs to be done. I know that's not fair. None of this is fair. But it's the best I can do right now."

Maura took that in. It was at least a start. She now had at least an idea of what was going on. Not all her questions were answered and instinctively she knew there was something big Jane was still keeping from her. But she had at least tried to tell her some of it. That was honestly more than she thought would happen. It would have to be enough for right now.

"Jane, I do trust you. I'm just worried about you. But if this is the best you can do for right now then it will have to do. I won't say a word to anyone unless you tell me I can. I know you are holding things back from me and I think you are doing it because you think you need to protect me. I appreciate the thought that you want to protect me but understand that the way you feel about protecting me is exactly how I feel about protecting you.

"So, I don't like it one bit that you are telling me that you are being watched and that you are probably investigating something that could get you tied up with the mob. Jane, it's the Mob for crying out loud. We both have seen exactly what the Irish mob is capable of. I don't like the idea that you are getting pulled into any of this no matter what kind of tip you received. But, I do trust you. I wish you would at least talk to Korsak or Frost. I'd feel better if I knew you had backup. I know you want to protect them too but they really would do anything for you Jane. They both care for you. As do I. So understand that I'll always be here for you no matter what and I guess we will just have to take this one day at a time." She leaned in and kissed Jane's cheek.

That would have to do for now. For them both.

Several hours later Jane again slipped out of bed leaving a sleeping Maura behind. She made her way to the kitchen. She went to the workout bag she had left in the entryway and retrieved one of the items she stored in there from earlier in the evening. She placed the notebook on the counter and turned it on. She was actually amazed that she remembered what she needed to do from the lessons Black had given her. Technology wasn't exactly her thing.

The notebook powered on and Jane selected the first program Black had installed. With the stroke of a few keys Jane initiated the signal that linked her notebook with the USB drive she had installed on the computer in the Command Center. She was now a ghost in the system. If Black had written the algorithm things correctly, Jane was about to have unrestricted access to all BPD data bases. That would include all stored files, all incoming and outgoing emails and all encrypted files. Jane waited a few more seconds and held her breath. _Please let this work. _About a minute later Jane was looking at what she wanted to see. It had worked. She had access to it all.

She minimized that screen and clicked onto the second program Black had installed. This one, if Black was to be believed, had been a carefully written algorithm meant to activate the thumb drive now installed on Maura's computer. Only this one didn't do the same thing that the first one did. Jane didn't want or need access to Maura's information. She wasn't ghosting Maura's computer. She was locking it out. According to Black this particular program would keep anyone from remotely accessing any of Maura's computer information. As long as the USB drive stayed plugged into Maura's computer it was now off the grid. She finished with that process and closed out of that program altogether. It was supposed to run into Jane physically unplugged the thumb drive from her machine.

She had one last program to open and activate. It was the thumb drive she installed on Connors' PC. And this one too had a slightly different function than all the rest. Cavanaugh wasn't the only one who didn't trust OC. Jane had a gut feeling about Connors. While Jane had access to everything from Connors' PC with the thumb drive she installed on the Command Center PC that would require her to actively search through files and documents.

What the thumb drive on Connors' PC was meant to do was to send an alert to an untraceable cell phone that Black had set up for Jane. Black's program for Connors' computer would send real-time alerts to Jane if he was sending or receiving any emails that fit within the perimeters Jane had Black establish. Once activated, Jane would get an instant update if Connors was doing anything around the subject of the Irish mob, Jane, Maura, Frost, Korsak or Cavanaugh and she would be streamed a real-time copy of what the communication or document was. Jane clicked the right buttons and the third thumb drive was now active. She let a smile creep across her face. Frost would really, really love all of this stuff.

With all that complete, Jane was as wired into the internal working of the Boston Police Department as any single person could be. She wouldn't do any searches tonight but she would start on that tomorrow. She needed to figure out who the mole was inside the department. After activating all of this she finally felt like she had a chance to do just that. Her overall plan would not succeed if she couldn't identify the mole in time.

Jane had one more task to accomplish before she could try to go back to sleep. She powered down the notebook and concealed it back in her workout bag. She removed the last item Black had given her and she carried it with her upstairs. She quietly re-entered the bedroom and found Maura was still in a deep sleep. She walked over to Maura's side of the bed and carefully grabbed her cell phone from the nightstand. She stepped back from Maura and carried her phone into the bathroom.

Once in the bathroom, Jane removed the protective case from Maura's phone and then removed the phone's backing to expose the battery and SIM card. Jane carefully removed the SIM card and attached the last item from Black to it. She reinstalled the SIM being careful not to break the connection between the now two thin SIM cards. She replaced the battery, the cover and the protective case. She then powered Maura's cell phone back on. Once it had fully turned on and was working, Jane exited the bathroom and replaced the phone on the nightstand. She then quietly walked around and slipped into bed without disturbing Maura. Jane actually thought she could sleep a little better and she knew it had something to do with the tracer she just added to Maura's cell phone.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

When Jane woke up the next morning she tried to keep the morning routine she and Maura had worked out over the previous months the same. She was trying not to either worry or upset Maura more than she knew she already was. She was up first and in the shower first. She took half the time to get ready in the mornings than Maura. Not that she didn't appreciate it. She loved the way Maura looked and had come to conclude that one of her favorite moments of any day was her first glimpse of Maura exiting the bathroom 'presentable' as she labeled it. It never seemed to not take her breath away.

This morning was no different. Jane's first glimpse of a presentable Maura was when Maura entered the kitchen to grab a quick bite to eat. Jane felt the catch in her breath as Maura walked by in a simple black shirt and a turquoise blouse that just did wonders for the hazel of her eyes. The very sight of her made Jane smile. That was just an instinct. It just happened. Every single time. And it never, ever got old.

Jane had already toasted a bagel and poured Maura a cup of coffee. Again, it was their morning routine. Jane had already dispensed with the newer acquired routine of newscast flipping and browsing through the Herald and Globe. Both had carried stories on the murders in Charlestown. Both read about the same. Both hinted at possible Mob activity especially considering the manner in which the victims were shot. But neither came right out and blasted Mob across the headlines. Jane knew that would come. Just not yet. She knew most law enforcement agents in the city were collectively holding their breaths that this wasn't the start of a turf war. And Jane knew they would be holding their breaths for the next 48 hours waiting out the answer.

Korsak had sent a text alerting her that the local FBI agents were planning on making an appearance that the station that afternoon. For Jane's part she hoped they stayed on the OC floor and out of Homicide. Given Maura's initial reports she placed on Connors desk last night, she had the distinct impression that the Charlestown murders would be taken from them by the time Jane managed to park her car in the garage. And again, that was fine with her. She hadn't lied to Korsak when she said the OC could and should do the legwork. Between OC and the FBI it was inevitable that Jane and Frost were going to get pushed right out of the case.

Normally Jane would be furious to lose a case to OC and even more furious to lose a case to the FBI. She was usually very territorial when it came to her cases. If it was initially assigned to her or Frost, it was theirs. End of story. She wasn't surprised Korsak had jumped her after the initial OC briefing. He wasn't used to her ever yielding any part of an investigation to anyone. She probably should have thought about that and at least faked her anger. But she had too much going through her head as it was. She could only keep so much in focus and in balance and a pissing contest with OC for a case she didn't stand a chance of keeping anyway was just not going to make the list of what she was going to concentrate on. Plus Cavanaugh had wanted her to give it up anyway.

"Do you want to observe the rest of the autopsies from last night?" Maura asked as she bit into the bagel.

"Do you think you will learn anything more than you did last night?"

Maura thought for a second. "You know I don't like to guess but I would say that it is rather unlikely. Cause of death has been determined. We are just waiting for ballistics for the comparisons on the bullets but my initial findings showed it was two separate weapons."

"Without a high probability of learning something more, I think I will decline the invitation to attend the rest of your autopsies," she said with a smile. "Besides, I don't expect this to be my case by the time I get to work. Korsak said the FBI is already circling the building. We will lose it now for sure."

"Jane, what happens now?" she asked not really hiding her concern.

"Now, we all wait. Hold our collective breaths and wait."

"For retaliation?"

"Yes. Everyone is hoping that this was a family ordered cleanup of outstanding business. A sanctioned hit. If that is the case, there won't be another hit. But..."

"You think there will be another murder."

Jane nodded. "I expect one by tomorrow morning." Maura was going to say something but Jane's phone rang at that moment. "Rizzoli." She listened on the other end and said only one other thing. "Yes Sir." She hung up.

"Cavanaugh?"

"Yeah, how did you know?"

"He's the only one you ever call 'Sir'," Maura stated plainly.

"I guess you are right. And I have to go. The Feds want our case files." Jane walked up to Maura and pulled her in an embrace like she was trying to hug away the danger. Maura let her hold on for a while before breaking the embrace.

"Come down and see me when you can today," it was a request. Jane knew Maura wanted to keep an eye on her now that she knew Jane was looking into something potentially dangerous.

"I will. I promise," Jane leaned in for a kiss and then headed to the door. Before walking all the way out the door she turned. "Hey Maura?"

"Yes?"

"One favor?"

"Ok."

"Text me if you get any field calls today. Text me before you are heading out. Please."

Maura hadn't expected that and just looked at Jane. There was a look of concern on Jane's face as she asked her for that. "Jane?"

"Just promise me please? I need to know where you are. For my own piece of mind."

"Ok." She said and watched as Jane walked out. She leaned against the counter. _What didn't you tell me last night Jane? And why do I think it involves Patrick Doyle?_

Frost and Korsak were waiting for Jane in the bullpen. Frost had coffee for her.

"Thanks partner. I didn't have time to stop downstairs for anything."

"The Feds are on the 5th floor. Five will get you ten says this case is already in the hands of OC," Korsak grumbled. He hated losing cases to other divisions or the FBI even more than Jane did.

"You knew that was going to happen last night. Let's not pretend we are all surprised here. It's why I let them do the notifications. I refuse to do Connors' job for him," Jane stated and was happy Korsak was nodding in approval and not still suspicious or mad from last night.

"You called it at the scene Jane. This will be OC's headache. Fine by me. I don't like getting involved in Mob cases. They all end poorly and the paperwork is a nightmare," Frost closed the file he had started on the Charlestown case. He wasn't going to do another ounce of work on a file he knew he was losing.

"So Miss-I-Have-a-Gut-Feeling what's your prediction for when the next call comes in?" Korsak asked.

"Tomorrow morning at the latest. Most likely later this evening if it's going to happen," Jane gave her honest answer.

"Who do you think is behind it?" asked Frost.

Jane shrugged her shoulders. She wasn't going to throw out a guess there.

"My money is on Flannigan," Korsak offered up. "This all smells like something he's been dying to try for years."

"Jane?" nudged Frost.

"I really don't know. I don't know the families well enough it take a guess at who is trying to make a move."

Both her partners just nodded. It was a reasonable answer. Jane went to sit down at her desk when quite unexpectedly something vibrated in her pant pocket and she almost jumped straight up in the air in shock. She forgot about that. She quickly had to gain her composure and she hoped neither Frost nor Korsak noticed her reaction. Thankfully, they hadn't. She took a sip of her coffee and shuffled some papers around on her desk. As soon as she felt it was alright to stand back up she excused herself and retreated to the ladies restroom.

She entered a stall and closed the door. She sat down on the toilet and quietly pulled out the cell phone Black had set up for her. She had forgotten that it was set to vibrate if she was receiving real-time alerts from the thumb drive she installed on Connors' PC. Her hands were a little shaky as she hit the buttons to retrieve the information. Half nervous to read what it said, half excited that the drive may actually be working.

Jane scrolled through what turned out to be an email. It was flagged to Jane because it mentioned Cavanaugh. Jane read Connors' email to his boss stating that Cavanaugh had been informed that OC was taking out the Murphy and Riley murders as of that morning. All evidence and case work was being handed over without incident. An innocent email but Jane smiled. It worked. The thumb drive was working and Jane was going to be able to stay on top of what Connors was doing. She was going to have to get used the added phone vibrating in her pocket but that was a small price to pay.

She made her way back to the bullpen and found Cavanaugh out of his office talking with Frost and Korsak.

"Rizzoli, I need you to hand over your files from the Charlestown case to OC."

"Yes Sir. We got bumped off point already?"

"Yes. I was greeted with a call this morning. It's OC's case for now. Another hit anywhere in this city and the Feds are going to assume total control. Let this be their headache."

Jane, Frost and Korsak all nodded in agreement.

"Rizzoli, a moment please," he said and he pointed to his office.

Jane nodded and followed him to his office and shut the door behind her. "What's up?"

"Are you sure it's O'Donnell," he asked in an almost whisper.

"It's what I was told. But to be honest with you I'm expecting better information for later this afternoon."

"From?"

"A source I trust."

Cavanaugh nodded.

"Why?" Jane asked after a few seconds of silence.

"Because my sources are saying it's O'Rourke's family."

This threw Jane. She felt the knot in the pit of her stomach tightened to the point of being painful. She trusted Rondo but could he be wrong about what he heard? "I'll know more tonight Sir. That's all I can say. Did your sources have any details?"

"No. I can't get any details. But they seem convinced it's O'Rourke's members. Which I think puts Maura in serious danger. Doyle did kill O'Rourke because of her."

Jane nodded. She didn't know what to think now. "If it was O'Rourke's family why start with Denegal? Why not just make a move for Doyle's crew and then target Maura for the coup de grace?"

"I don't know Jane. I wish I did."

Jane was quiet for a few minutes. She needed time to go through the records she had access to from the Command Center thumb drive. She needed to find the mole on the inside. And she needed to know who ordered the hit in Charlestown last night. Now more than ever. Why did she tell Rondo 4 pm? She needed answers from him sooner than four. And now there was something else.

"Sir?"

"Yes?"

"How connected are you at Cedar Junction?" Jane asked it quickly and quietly.

"I don't like what you are thinking Jane," was his answer in a tone that made Jane shiver.

"With all due respect Sean, this is my fiancée we've been talking about. Did you really expect me to just sit back and let something happen to her? That's not how this is going to play out."

"Jane. Whatever you are planning, whatever you are thinking, you agreed that we would discuss it before you went and tried anything. Why do I get the feeling that you aren't living up to that agreement."

"I haven't done anything yet. That's why I'm asking you. How connected are you at Cedar Junction?"

"I have a few people who owe me some favors. But I doubt favors big enough for what I think you are thinking."

"I need to see him."

"Jane that will tip our hand."

"I don't really care anymore. I need to see him."

"People will know you went there."

"So."

"So, those same people will quickly figure out that you went there to either continue to work for him or to try to interfere which will confirm that both you and Maura are still an access point to him."

"Do you really think they don't already know that now?"

"Jane…it's risky."

"Sir...it may be my only play. I have to see him. Can you arrange it and try to keep it under wraps?"

"Jane, it's a State Prison. He's under max protection and in solitary confinement. There will be no hiding any movement involving him."

"So don't hide it. I need to see him. Arrange it."

"Jane, I don't like this."

"Sean, I don't really care. I love her. She is everything to me and I'm going to do whatever I have to do to make sure she doesn't get hurt in all this mess."

"Jane…"

"Sean, please. Arrange it. I need to see Doyle and I need to see him soon."

Cavanaugh was quiet for a few minutes. Mostly he was absolutely convinced that Jane would head out to Cedar junction with or without his help. Without his help things would be twice as complicated. Finally, he conceded. "It'll take at least a day. But I'll set it up. I still think this is a bad idea."

"You are entitled to your opinion Sir. But this is my life we are talking about. Set it up. Please."

Cavanaugh nodded his head.

"And I need to disappear for the rest of the afternoon. I'll be accessible by cell phone but I won't be at the station for the rest of the day. Will you cover for me?"

"Your source?" Jane just nodded. "I'll take care of it."

"Thank you. Oh, and Maura doesn't go out on any runs today. None."

Cavanaugh nodded his head. "I'll take care of that too."

Jane turned and walked back to her desk. Frost and Korsak were staring at her. The wonder was written all over their faces. She shook her head as one of them was about to say something. Something about the look on her face made them both stay quiet. She sat down, pulled out a piece of paper and scribbled down a message. She placed the note in a folder and handed the folder to Korsak. She flashed her hand at him to indicate to give her five minutes before reading the note and he got the signal instantly and nodded. Without another word she grabbed her stuff and headed for the elevators.

Everything was changing. Everything.

Five minutes after Jane entered the elevator Korsak opened the file and read Jane's note. Frost was reading over Korsak's shoulder with anticipation.

_Noon- 700 Boylston St. I need you both. Do not take your cars. Go to lunch. Park at a restaurant then come by cab. Do not email or text me. We are being watched. Make sure you aren't followed from the restaurant. Tell NO ONE._

They both looked at each other and nodded. Game on.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Jane's mind was racing and her head was spinning as she rode the elevator down to the morgue. She didn't know what to expect and felt like everything she had thought or planned to that point was wrong or incomplete. Rondo said it was O'Donnell but Cavanaugh said it was O'Rourke. All of this was giving her a headache. She couldn't shake the feeling that Maura was going to be in play sooner than she was ready. So she needed to be ready faster.

It was time to make her move. One, she needed Frost and Korsak's help. She felt guilty for what she was about to ask but it was time to admit she wasn't able to do this all on her own. It was time to start really trusting some of the people in her life. And she trusted both Frost and Korsak with the one thing that meant the most to her. Maura. She had absolutely no doubt that they would do anything she asked of them. She just hated that she was going to have to ask.

And two, it was time to see Doyle. Jane knew it was inevitable. She was hoping to know more about what threat his territory faced before she saw him. She didn't want to walk into a room with him not fully understanding the variables of what was happening. But speaking with Cavanaugh made Jane suddenly realize that there would always be variables she didn't understand with this. She wasn't an insider with the Mob. She didn't fully understand the dynamics and culture of that lifestyle. And she never would. So it didn't seem to matter that she didn't have the answers. She had the questions. Or at least the one question she knew she would have to ask and only Doyle was in a position to answer.

She got off the elevator and started to look for Maura. She had promised to come down and see her plus given the shift in what was happening Jane just really, really needed to see her. To hold her. To touch her knowing that for the moment she was safe. She peaked into the morgue and didn't see her so she headed to her office. Thankfully, Maura was sitting at her desk reading a report. Again, the sight of her had a magical effect on Jane's all too rapidly beating heart.

She leaned up against the doorframe of Maura's office just watching her read what was in front of her. She didn't want to announce her presence. She was happy to just look at Maura for a minute. To simply admire the beauty that radiated from her. It took only a few seconds though for Maura to feel a set of eyes staring at her. She looked up and was more than happy to see it was Jane. She noted, however, the haunted look that was on Jane's face and she knew something was wrong. "Are you ok?" she asked knowing the actual answer was bound to be different from what she was going to be told.

"Enjoying the view," she stated and walked into Maura's office.

"Anything happen yet?" throwing out a soft question to gauge a reaction.

Jane shook her head and didn't speak immediately. She walked closer to Maura and took a seat in one of Maura's chairs. She didn't even make a comment about how uncomfortable the chair was. Maura know something was really wrong. If the missing comment about the chair and Jane's facial expressions hadn't done it, Maura zoned in on Jane's hands and found her fiancée was absentmindedly rubbing the scar on her left hand. Her one signature tell.

Jane, sensing Maura was now staring at her, shifted around in the chair trying to buy some time. She wanted to see Maura and spend time with her but she was afraid to really even try to speak. Fear of giving away too much. She was fighting herself hard on the urge to just break down and tell Maura everything. It was killing her not to.

Needing something to do with her hands she reached over and picked up the framed photograph of Frankie, her Ma and herself. She looked at it and smiled. Who would have thought the weekend after a deranged cop tried to kill Maura would now be considered 'better times' but yet that had turned into a really good moment for both ladies.

"Jane?" Jane was slowly registering Maura's voice. She now had a feeling that wasn't the first time Maura had said her name. She lowered the photo into her lap and looked up to see the very panicked look on Maura's face. "Tell me what's going on Jane. What's really happening?"

Maura stood up and walked to her office door. She closed it and walked back to where Jane was sitting. She knelt down in front of Jane and placed her hands on Jane's knees. "Talk to me."

Jane tried to look at her but couldn't maintain eye contact. The internal battle between her mind and her heart was raging and it was causing her to freeze up.

"Jane," and Maura leaned in and tilted Jane's chin up towards her ensuring that their eyes met. "Don't do this again. Don't make the same mistakes you made 24 years ago. I won't let this be something that 20 years from now you have another list of numbered mistakes you blame yourself for. I won't be part of some box you keep in your closet. I want the truth. All of it and I want it now."

It was an awful thing to say and to do. Maura felt terrible about having to go there. But she was done being patient. And for now, done protecting Jane's feelings. She knew it was hitting below the belt to pull what she knew about Ben into this but ever since Jane had given her half answers the night before it was all Maura could think about. Jane spent years blaming herself for making too many mistakes around not talking to people about what was going on with Ben. She was in a position to repeat that all over again by keeping too many things from Maura and she was determined to not let history repeat itself. Even if it meant taking a cheap shot at the woman she loved.

Flashes of emotions flew across Jane's face. Shock. Anger. Hurt. And then defeat. Quietly she spoke, "I don't want that either."

"Then tell me what you've been afraid of telling me for almost a month now. Talk to me about whatever threat has come from my father that involves me." Maura was imploring Jane to talk to her.

Jane only let the shock that Maura was pretty close to knowing what she hadn't said flash across her face for a second. She should have known. She was in love with a genius after all. Maura connected the dots rather quickly. In a way, Jane was proud of her. She really was quite amazing.

"I was trying to protect you. You've been through too much. I'm sorry," her hands were trembling.

Maura took Jane's hands into hers, "Well, we've been through too much together for you to try to do this on your own. I understand your need to protect me, I do. But we are partners. We have to start dealing with things together. From the beginning. That's the way I intend for us to be going forward, so you might as well get used to it. Now, tell me what is really going on."

Jane took a deep breath and she started telling Maura everything. All the details of her conversation with Cavanaugh and his request to keep things quiet. About both their fears of being watched via computer, cell phone and email. His request to keep things confidential and her agreement to not tell her, Frost or Korsak. She went through the details of the newspaper searches and why she bought the iPad and Jet Pack.

She told her about Rondo and what she was asking from him and what she was still hoping to get from him later that night. She talked about how she took what he had said to heart and had tried to figure out how it would all play out if it was O'Donnell and she didn't hold back about her concern that O'Donnell would target Maura to get Doyle to yield control of his territory. Then she told Maura that Cavanaugh's sources were saying it was O'Rourke and how that also put Maura in danger and more simply because Jane was worried about a straight up retaliation hit on Maura to get even for Doyle killing O'Rourke two years ago.

She told her about the mole in BPD and what she feared it could mean to both Maura and Jane if the person wasn't exposed and stopped. She then explained about what she asked from Messier and what she had asked from Black. She told her that she put tracers on both her own car and Maura's. She told her she added a tracer to Maura's cell phone. She detailed what she had done to the three computers at the station including the thumb drive sitting in the machine across from them. She explained to Maura that she took her off the grid to help keep the mole from monitoring her and getting an edge on what she was working on or where she was going. She explained her concerns about Connors and what his thumb drive was doing for her and why she placed the one she did on a Command Center computer.

Then she told Maura she had asked for help from Frost and Korsak. She explained what her plan was for the rest of the day and what she was hoping to have answers for by the end of the day. She detailed what she thought she was going to find and even told Maura she suspicions on who she thought the mole was. And before she stopped talking, she explained one more thing. She even told Maura about what Cavanaugh was working on for her. The meeting with Doyle at Cedar Junction. She told her everything. When she done, there was silence.

Silence. That wasn't a good sign. Maura hadn't said a word from the moment Jane started talking. She didn't even flinch. She had stayed knelt down by Jane's side holding her hands and taking it all in. But now, when it finally felt like it was her turn to say something. There was nothing. Nothing for what Jane felt like was an eternity.

Finally the eternity came to an end. "Jane I don't know what to say here. You have tried to deal with so much. If someone finds about the computers it will cost you your career."

"I don't care about that. I care about keeping you safe."

"You'd sacrifice your career to do it?"

"Maura, I'd sacrifice my life for you." The resolve behind that comment made Maura tear up.

Maura was flooded with emotions in that moment. There were things she wanted to tell Jane. To explain what she meant in her life. How much she loved her. How she, too, would sacrifice everything for her. But it was too much to get out the way she wanted it. So instead, she leaned into Jane and kissed her. Strong, slow and full of love. Maura used that kiss to convey what she couldn't quite put into words yet.

"So, our next step is to meet with Frost and Korsak," Maura stated breaking away from the kiss finally.

"No, that's my next step. Your next step is staying inside this station until the end of the day and then Cavanaugh is escorting you home."

"No," she stated and finally stood up straightening out her skirt. The finality of her tone was impressive. "I'm going with you to meet with Frost and Korsak." She walked behind her desk and picked up her phone. Jane just stared at her. "Suzie, I'll be stepping out of the lab for the rest of day. I will be available on my cell phone if there is an emergency." And she hung up the phone.

Jane hadn't moved from her chair. She was going through several lines of internal dialogue trying to find the best way to convince Maura to stay at the station but Maura had, by the time she even could come up with anything, her purse in one hand and her keys out. And Jane simply admitted defeat. There really was no arguing with this woman when she decided on something. "We need to drive separately. You are NOT coming to my meeting with Rondo later," it was a small stance but Jane was determined to make at least that one.

Maura nodded. "Agreed. Plus it will look better if we drive in separate cars. That is our normal routine. I assume you want to follow me."

Jane nodded. She told her where to drive to and park the car. "We will walk to where we are going after we park the cars. I'll be right behind you." And they both made their way to the parking garage to meet up with Frost and Korsak.


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N just wanted to say a quick thanks to all the responses and feedback I've been receiving for this story. I continue as I have from the first time I posted anything to be overwhelmed by the nice words and support I have been given. It was unexpected from the beginning and continues today. But it was meant a great deal to me so thanks! I now return you to our previously scheduled chapter update...**

Chapter 15

Both Jane and Maura got out of the station without incident. Jane followed Maura to the restaurant where they both parked their cars. Jane removed Black's duffle bag from her car and they then walked together to their destination. Maura was slightly surprised at Jane's pick for a meeting place but she didn't question her. Before entering the building Jane made sure that they hadn't been followed. Once she felt that they hadn't been followed they both entered the building.

Jane walked over to the counter and spoke with the lady behind the desk. A few minutes later Jane was handed a key and Maura saw the lady point in the direction of the elevators. Jane rejoined Maura. "Come on, we have time to set up and then Frost and Korsak should be here." They both walked to the elevator and Jane hit the '3' button.

Finding the room once off the elevator, Jane unlocked the door and they both entered the room. Jane put down the duffle bag and unzipped the bag exposing multiple electronic devices. Maura glanced in the bag and was a little surprised by just how many items Jane had managed to secure.

"Wow. You weren't messing around were you?"

"I have no real clue about most of this stuff, honestly. But Black knew what he was doing so if it's in this bag I guess I need it for something." Jane started pulling out and set up several of the items.

Maura stood back and watched Jane set up equipment in a state of awe. She was still overwhelmed by just how much Jane had done for her to this point: secret meetings, planting flash drives and tracers, investigating a high ranking dirty cop. All of this Jane had done for her. Maura knew without a doubt her love for Jane was absolute. It was unquestioned and unwavering. But what she was feeling now was something more. Something she had never felt before in her entire life.

She had been surprised when Jane proposed marriage. Not because she didn't think Jane loved her but because she was afraid Jane would never truly share her life with Maura. Her habit of shutting people out and not talking about her personal issues had made Maura believe that Jane was never going to be completely comfortable with sharing her life with a spouse. And Maura wanted that more than anything. She wanted to share her life with the woman she loved. But she wanted Jane to share her life too. That was the part she was unsure would truly happen.

After Jane had shared the story about Ben, Maura had a glimmer of hope that it would be the start of a closer relationship between the two. They were always friends. They had become lovers. But Maura held onto a belief that marriage was about a true partnership. Two individuals trying to create one life together. So when Jane proposed there were still times Maura worried that Jane would never get passed that part of her that forced her to hide her true self and refuse to seek or accept help or support. With her revelations about Ben Maura had come to see that as Jane's first baby steps towards healing herself and becoming open to the notion of truly sharing her life with Maura.

So when all of this started with the newscast and newspapers, Maura was disappointed to see Jane fall right back into her pattern of diversion, half answers and deflection. It hurt her to have believed Jane had taken a step forward only to watch what felt like behavior that was two steps back. The initial instinct Jane showed with this new issue and threat was not to come to Maura to share the concern and the fear. No her first instinct was still to try to handle it on her own. When they had talked the night before and Jane only gave Maura half answers, Maura felt somewhat defeated and a small part of her was tittering on losing hope that Jane could ever share herself with another person.

But listening to Jane recount all of what had happened, what was happening and what was still to come, Maura finally came to accept that Jane had taken a giant leap forward. It wasn't perfect. Maura would have loved Jane to have been just completely honest with her from the beginning but Jane was finally there. Talking, sharing and not holding back. She had told Maura everything. She had asked Frost and Korsak for help. She was moving forward and growing in her life. The realization of this was hitting Maura hard. It was partly why she couldn't form a complete thought in her office and had tried to convey her feelings through touch instead of words. She was having this moment, this epiphany that was slowly coming into focus. It was like waking up from a really good dream only to find that the reality waiting for her was a million times better than the dream.

Jane, sensing Maura's eyes staring at her looked up. "What?" for Maura had a look on her face that Jane could not neither place nor understand.

"You love me," it wasn't a question. More like an observation.

"Yes, I do," she was unsure where that had come from or where it was leading them towards.

"We are getting married," again the same observational tone.

"Yes...in 7 more weeks," Jane was now really confused where this conversation was going.

"We are going to share a life together," and this she said with such conviction that it caused goose bumps up and down Jane's arms.

"That's the general principle behind the concept of marriage if I am to believe the lecture on the history of marriage you gave me, yes." Jane had stopped setting up equipment and was now just looking at Maura trying to understand what may be going through her head at that moment.

Maura stepped forward and cupped her both her hands gently to the cheeks of Jane and held Jane's gaze into her eyes for a moment. She then leaned in and kissed her. Again feeling as if she had a better chance of conveying all she was feeling in that moment through the contact and tenderness of her lips and any words she could put together. The sweetness of the kiss made Jane slightly weak in the knees.

"Maura…" she almost whispered as they let their lips break.

"Shhh! Just let me have this moment. And know that I love you." Maura rested her forehead against Jane's and let Jane pull her into an embrace. They both let the moment linger.

Jane, realizing it was close to noon, regrettably pulled away and looked at her phone to see it was time to meet with Frost and Korsak. "I'm going to head back down to wait for the guys. Mind staying here with all of this?" Jane was suddenly nervous about leaving the equipment behind in the room. Maura shook her head indicating that she wouldn't mind staying in the room.

Jane stole one more quick kiss from Maura and that headed out the door. She rode the elevator down and waited for Frost and Korsak. About five minutes later they both entered the building. She stepped forward to greet them.

"Jane, what the hell is going on?" demanded Korsak immediately. "Are you ok? And why in the hell are we _here_ of all places?"

"Shhhh! Keep it quiet!" Jane scolded him. "Look, let's just head up to the room and I'll explain everything. I need help from you both right now."

Korsak nodded. Frost looked around and looked at Jane. "But Jane, a library? Really?" But a grin spread across his face.

"What? You got something against the Boston Public Library? Come on, Maura's waiting for us upstairs."

They all headed to the elevator to head back up to the meeting cubicle Jane had secured for the day. Granted, the Boston Public Library was not the most obvious choice for their meeting which was precisely the reason Jane picked the location. Public, open but yet private. She knew she could secure a meeting room for the day and she felt it unlikely that anyone would expect the four of them to be spending the day at a library.

Both Frost and Korsak wanted to throw hundreds of questions at Jane but knew not to speak until they got off the elevator and made their way to the meeting room Jane had secured. Once they entered, Frost immediately let his eyes take in the computer equipment Jane had set up.

"Holy shit Jane. What in the hell are you working on?"

"Sit down both of you. I have a story to tell you and then I need your help," Jane pointed to chairs for both to have a seat.

"Jane, you don't have to ask for our help. Whatever you need. It's yours," Korsak offered up.

"Vince, before you say that I won't let you say yes until you've heard me out. What I need isn't exactly legal and if we get caught it could cost careers. So don't volunteer until you understand everything involved. There is physical danger and threats involved too."

"Jane, I think I speak for Korsak too when I say I don't care how illegal or dangerous it is. We're in. Whatever you need. We are in."

Jane nodded and let the feelings of true friendship wash over her and comfort her for a minute. "Thanks. Both of you. Now, let me get you caught up on what's happened and what still needs to happen." Jane took a seat and she spent the next thirty five minutes explaining everything she had told Maura earlier that day. Once she finished she looked at both of them.

"I know you both have already volunteered but I want you to know if you don't want to help me with this I completely understand. This is big you guys. And if I get this wrong the consequences will be severe. Please know that you can walk away right now if you want to without any hard feelings."

"Jane, you are my partner. And you are my friend. I know what's involved and I'm still in. All the way." Frost looked at Jane when he said this. He then turned to Maura, "You are my friend too. No one is going to hurt you. No one."

"Jane, you only had to ask me once," was all Korsak added. "Now, where do we start?"

"Cavanaugh is working on setting up a sit down with Doyle. He was iffy on when it could happen but he understands the need for urgency on it. I'm hoping that I can make the trip to Cedar Junction tomorrow. My meeting with Rondo is at 4 pm. So, outside of that, Frost I need help with the computer stuff. I've managed to set it all up and I sort of understand what I'm doing but this is definitely more up your alley."

Frost nodded. "Remind me to get the name of your guy. This stuff is amazing. Based on the algorithm he wrote for the thumb drive you placed in Command Center, I have unrestricted access to everything on any server in the department. If the mole is who you think it is I should be able to start searching through his hard drive and archives and hopefully find something that could prove it." He moved himself over to one of the notebooks Jane had brought and powered on. He immediately got to work searching through files.

Jane turned to Korsak, "Vince, I have received about twenty real time alerts from the Connors thumb drive but I haven't really gone through the documents. Can you look through them and see if he is involved in any of this?"

Korsak nodded, "I've never trusted Connors." Jane handed over the untraceable cell phone to Korsak for him to start scrolling through Connors' activity from that morning.

Jane turned to Maura and smiled. "Care to illegally wade through encrypted Boston Police Department data with me?"

"Gosh, how could a girl resist such an invitation?" she smiled back at Jane.

For the next three hours the four of them searched through emails, cell phone records, text messages and stored, encrypted documents from the Command Center servers. For the first two hours they all found nothing. None of the documents from Connors revealed anything more than standard police procedures. Frost hadn't found anything on the hard drive he was ghosting. And Jane and Maura waded through countless emails but hadn't found a smoking gun. But then three sets of eyes were suddenly called into attention at an excited shout.

"I got something!" came from Korsak as he looked up excitably to see the other three now give their full attention to him. Korsak hit two more keys on the notebook and turned it to show the group.

"It's an email from about four years ago. It's sent to an encrypted email account and there's not much in the body of the email but there is a mention of the name Maguire. Peter Maguire was number three for Whitey Bulger." He looked at Maura. "No one ranked higher than Maguire in that family except Patrick Doyle."

Frost looked at the email Korsak had found and he did a trace of the encrypted email address. Within seconds his notebook screen filled with email trails to that address. Frost did a quick sort and found there were three separate emailers sending emails from a BPD computer to the encrypted email address. And Frost was now staring at what he knew was the answer to who was the mole.

"Jane, you were right," as all eyes moved their attention to what Frost had uncovered. They all looked at the sending addresses. The first was from a patrol officer assigned to District C-6 which served South Boston. Jane recognized the name but didn't really know the officer. The second was from Connors. Jane was not really surprised at this point that he was on the take. It was the third sender, the high ranking mole, that they were now all staring at with some disbelief.

"Wow," was all Korsak could say for the moment. And then he looked at Jane. "You knew…how did you know that?"

Jane shrugged her shoulders. "It was a hunch. I had an encounter with him just after O'Rourke was killed that never made much sense to me but I didn't dwell on it. And then there was a second encounter in the aftermath of the Doyle shooting but I didn't put the two together until Cavanaugh talked to me last month. I know Cavanaugh was afraid of who he thought it might be and that narrowed down the list of possibilities. As I tried to really think about things, the two encounters seemed to make more sense to me if you factor this in."

Frost had been looking through the email trails when Jane was talking. "Jane, this is enough to put him away. Connors and Johnson too."

"Can we trace the encrypted email address? I really need to know who these emails were sent to."

"I should be able to figure that out but that may take a little longer. The encryption is good. Even Black's handy work is having problems with it," Frost stated.

Jane nodded. "Ok, see what you can do. In the meantime, let's put a file together. We are going to have to have everything documented to make a move." She looked down at her phone. It was close to the time she needed to head out to meet up with Rondo. "I've got to head out to meet with Rondo."

"Do you want backup?" asked Frost.

"No, Rondo and I have a pretty good routine worked out. I need that email address unencrypted. And I need you to compile everything you can so it's ready when we make our move. Also, I still need that information on Doyle. It has to be in the server somewhere. I'd like it before I head out to Cedar Junction."

"I think I can find it. We'll stay and work on the rest of what is needed here," and Frost went back to work on the notebook.

Jane looked at Korsak. "Vince, I need you to keep her safe. Can you get her home and stay with her until I get done with Rondo?"

Korsak nodded. "Of course."

Jane turned to Maura. "I should only be gone a couple of hours. Head to my place and I'll be there as soon as I can."

Maura nodded. "I'll help Frost for a little while longer. Promise me you will be careful."

Jane nodded. "I will be." She went to Black's duffle bag and pulled out two disposable cell phones. She handed one to Korsak and she kept the other. "Each has the other number already programmed into it. If anything comes up with this, call me. But only on this phone. Our phones are still being monitored. So no emails, calls or texts about this on the BPD phones."

Korsak took the phone and nodded. "We will try to wrap all of this up and then I'll get Maura to your place. You be careful."

Jane headed for the door and Maura walked with her. Before leaving they embraced and shared a tender kiss. Both had things they wanted to say but both kept the words to themselves. The electricity that surged between them as the embraced seemed to convey to the other just how much they loved each other and just how much was really on the line here. "We are almost there Maura. This will be over soon." It was all Jane could offer for the moment.

"Just please be careful." The thought of something happening to Jane was more than what Maura could ever think about. One last kiss was exchanged and Jane left to meet up with Rondo.

Jane exited the library and headed back towards her car. She paused a few times are she was walking to get a sense of whether or not she was being followed. Part of her felt foolish that she was being as paranoid as she had been but she would rather be safe than sorry. Too much was at stake for her to get sloppy. Not sensing any immediate danger she pushed ahead and made the journey back to her car.

Unfortunately for Jane she missed the black van that was in fact tailing her. They had been prepared for Jane to be looking for them so they stayed as far back from her as they could manage. They had a feeling they knew she was walking back towards her car so they gave a lot of leeway. There was a brief conversation between the man driving and one of the passengers.

"Should we follow her or stay with our actual target?"

"Stay with the target. With her out of the picture this should go easier than we expected."

With that as the instructions, the black van let the retreating detective fade into the distance. They returned their attention to the entrance of the library and patiently waited for the doctor to emerge from the building. Their instructions were clear. Get the doctor. Whatever it took. Get the doctor.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Jane stuck to her pre-Rondo visit routine and did not get a sense of being followed. However, on her second lap around the block before she had planned to park in the alley, her BPD cell phone rang. It was Cavanaugh.

"Yes Sir?" she answered without even trying to say hello.

"Rizzoli, do you have any idea where," and Jane immediately cut him off.

"Yes Sir I do…and you don't need to worry about that particular _file._" She felt a little silly switching to code names and hoped Cavanaugh would realize she didn't want Maura's name said out loud.

For his part, Cavanaugh picked up on her hint quickly. "That _file _was due on my desk two hours ago. You are never really late with your _work _so I got a little concerned."

"I'm sorry Sir. Something came up at lunch. I have the _file _safe. There is no need to worry about whether it is finished or not."

He was quiet for a second and Jane was convinced he was hearing between the unspoken words. "Alright. I don't like the tardiness Rizzoli. Next time you know things are not going to be turned in on time it wouldn't kill you to let me know. I almost panicked."

His genuine concern for Maura was touching. Jane had appreciated everything he had tried to do for her with all of this from the start. She was just sorry he had underestimated the lengths that she would go to keep Maura safe. He should have really anticipated that Jane couldn't or wouldn't contain this to such a small audience in the end. But for what he was trying to do she would be eternally grateful.

"I am sorry Sir. I just made excellent progress on the report for the _file _and wanted to ensure all the pertinent information was added for your consideration. But I will not be able to bring that _file _to you until tomorrow. Is that alright?"

"Yes Jane, that is fine. As long as I know there was progress I think I can buy some time on the due date."

"Thank you Sir. Oh, were you able to get me that appointment?"

Cavanaugh was silent for a minute and then released a sigh. "I'm waiting for some confirmation but it appears that it could be arranged for tomorrow night. I still don't think this is a good idea but if you insist I'm pretty sure it can be arranged."

"Do it." Jane was done trying to win his approval for this particular move. He had absolutely no idea how Jane was planning to handle Doyle so she didn't expect to ever win his approval. For what she was planning was never going to be anything her would ever discuss with him. With anyone. Ever.

"I'll be in touch," he conceded.

"Thank you, Sir." And Jane hung up her phone. By this time she was able to park her car and head to her meeting location with Rondo.

Jane entered the abandoned building expecting to have to wait for him for just a few minutes. She was more than a bit surprised that he was already inside and waiting for him. This made her a little apprehensive about what he had discovered.

"Rondo?"

"Vanilla, you have done opened up one hell of a shit can of worms!"

"What did you find out?"

"I found out that you are one crazy chick messing with the Mob. That's what I found out."

"Damn it Rondo, just tell me what you found out."

"Right, right. Okay, so I found Trisha and got her alone. She is freaked out right now so me askin questions didn't help her current state of paranoia. But, for you, I asked anyway."

"Thank you. And you found out what?" she asked with her patience growing thin.

"That the word on the street about it being O'Donnell who was gonna make a move was bullshit. Trisha said that her man was goin round braggin that his crew was gonna make the power play. I guess all the families have been talking about how to react to Doyle gettin arrested and jailed. But Trisha said her man was all talk and no power. And she wasn't just talkin street cred either."

"Rondo, please for the love of all that is Holy, stay on topic here. I need information on the Mob….not on Trisha's sex life."

"Right, right. Okay. Trisha said that when those two dudes got whacked in that store in Charlestown her man almost wet himself. She said he realized he was runnin his mouth too much and is now livin in fear that whoever did order the hit will now target him for runnin his mouth. She thinks he is close to goin deep underground until the coast is clear."

"So she is sure that he, or his family, didn't do the hit in Charlestown…"

"Absolutely. She said her man was almost bawlin like a baby. I think she gonna leave him cuz of it."

Jane was quiet for a minute. If this was true that did mean it was O'Rourke and Maura was in some serious trouble. "Anything else?"

"Yeah, but I don't know what to make of it."

"What?"

"Just that Trisha said she heard on the street that all of whatever was goin on had something to do with revenge. She said she keeps hearing that 'the girl gonna finally end up in that grave of hers' which I can't figure out what that means."

Jane turned pale. "Oh my God!" was all she stammered. She immediately understood the message. She knew that there was a gravesite with Maura's name on it already. Doyle had gone to great lengths to hide the fact that as a baby Maura had been adopted. He had told Hope that Maura had died in childbirth and had given Maura to Constance because he had trusted her. Jane had come across Maura's infant gravesite and tombstone about a year ago. It had been right after she had shot Doyle in the warehouse. The 'grave of hers' was the grave site for Maura. They were going after Maura. "I have to go. Rondo, thank you!" But she was practically yelling this to him as she sprinted to her car.

As she sprinted to her car she pulled out the disposable cell phone she had given Korsak and frantically hit the buttons to send the call. Within a second it had gone straight to pre-programmed voicemail prompting. _Shit!_ No longer caring who may be listening in or tracking her she pulled out her BPD cell phone and tried Korsak's BPD cell. Four rings and then voicemail. Immediately she knew there was a problem.

She reached her car at that point and barely slowed down to buckle her seat belt. Lights and sirens blaring she sped out of the alley and headed towards the Boston Public Library. She scrolled through her phone and tried Maura's cell phone. Same result as Korsak's. Four rings and then the start of the voicemail greeting. She hung up and tried her apartment. Four rings and her answering machine started.

As she flew through the intersections not caring how many people she made slam on brakes to avoid hitting the speeding police cruiser she tried Frost. On the second ring he answered, "Frost."

"Frost! Where are Vince and Maura?"

"They left here about fifteen minutes ago. They were going to walk to Maura's car and then head out to your place. What's wrong?"

"Korsak isn't answering his cell or the disposable one I gave him nor is Maura. And they are going after her Frost. They want Maura!"

Frost caught up to Jane's panic mode quickly. "How far away from here are you?"

"Three more minutes."

"I'll head out to look for them."

"Frost, my bag! In the duffle bag is another notebook. The blue one. I put a tracer on Maura's car and her cell phone. That notebook has the program for both tracers. Find her! "

"I'm on it!"

"I'm almost there!"

Two minutes later Jane slammed on her brakes in front of the library and ran out of the car. She ran right into Frost who was coming out the library. He was carrying the blue notebook and the duffle bag over his shoulder. "Jane, her car is on the move. North on Boylston!"

Jane stopped on a dime and returned to the car. Frost jumped in on the passenger side and they took off again with lights and siren blaring. They headed North on Boylston and a few blocks into the pursuit Frost directed her to turn right. She made an immediate right.

"You are gaining on her car. It's just a few blocks up ahead." They sped through the Back Bay section of Boston. "Jane, the car has stopped. Two blocks ahead." He didn't hide the fear in his voice that the car had stopped. Within thirty seconds she had pulled up to Maura's car. It had been left on the side of the road just short of the Charles River. There was no sign of Maura but they found Korsak.

Korsak was slumped over on his right side up against the passenger side door of Maura's car. He was out cold but he was breathing. "Shit! Frost call it in! Get a bus here!" Frost grabbed his phone and called in the officer needs assistance call and stated their location. Jane frantically grabbed the notebook and started hitting buttons.

"Jane what are you doing?"

"I'm checking to see if the cell phone tracer shows any movement," she frantically scanned the screen waiting for the program to load and start searching for the tracer on Maura's phone. After what seemed like forever, the program indicated that it was retrieving the tracer signal to the phone. _Come on damn it! _Jane wanted to know where Maura was. The screen showed the signal trace but Jane just stood there. The screen showed the cell phone tracer signal but according to the trace Jane was standing right on top of the signal. She leaned into the driver's side door and looked around. On the floorboard of the passenger car, next to Korsak's left foot, sat Maura's cell phone.

"Shit!"

Frost's gaze went from Jane's angry and frustrated face to the passenger side floorboard. He saw the phone. "I'm sorry Jane," he barely said above a whisper.

Jane regrouped and went back to the notebook. In a frantic manner she looked for one more program on the notebook. When she found it she double clicked the icon to start the program.

"Jane? Now what are you doing?"

She ignored him. Her focus was entirely on the computer screen in front of her. She had one last chance. One last trick up her, or in this particular case Black's, sleeve. _This has to work! It just has to! _"Come on!" Jane cursed the slowness of the notebook. "Come on!"

"Jane?"

Finally the program launched and Jane was thrilled that it showed movement. _YES!_

"I got her!" And she immediately jumped in her car. "Stay with Vince! I'll call you when I get a location!" and she sped off before he could even protest about her heading out alone.

The last trick up her sleeve was working. Maura was wearing the diamond and emerald necklace Jane had given her that had one last tracer attached to it. That tracer had been a gift from Black and his idea. She had never owed a bigger debt to anyone ever in her entire life.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Frost impatiently looked around. "Where the hell is the bus?!" he said to no one. He was just frustrated. He needed to help Jane and get to her but he couldn't leave Korsak until backup arrived. He finally heard the sirens and he knew reinforcements were coming. Multiple black and whites arrived and started to block off the scene.

Frost started yelling, "Secure the scene and get an ETA on that bus. Get Korsak to the hospital!" He approached an officer and his car. "Get a ride back to the station, this is mine now. Contact Cavanaugh and let him know that Detective Rizzoli and I are in pursuit of possible kidnap victim Dr. Maura Isles. Have him get SWAT on alert and let him know we will keep him apprised of the situation." And he jumped in to the cruiser and took off in the direction he last saw Jane head. "Come on Jane….where did you go?" He pulled his cell phone out and called her number.

"Frost are you mobile?"

"Yes! Where the hell are you?"

"Headed North on Newbury right now. I have a good lock on her signal."

Frost didn't bother to waste time asking Jane how she managed to get a third tracer on Maura. He was just damn glad she had managed to do it. "She is still moving?"

"Yes but they are slowing down. Keep heading North on Newbury and as soon as I have a better location I'll let you know. Just put the phone on speaker and I'll shout out streets as I can."

Frost maneuvered himself onto Newberry and headed North with full lights and sirens. He decided to wait to get an exact location before he even asked Jane if she wanted more backup.

About two minutes later he heard Jane's voice over the phone again. "They've pulled off into a building. I've killed the sirens and lights. When you get to Blandford Street kill yours too. Pull up alongside my car, I'm about to go on foot. We will talk game plan once you get here."

"Got it partner! I'm now three minutes behind you."

Three minutes later Frost pulled up next to Jane's Crown Victoria. He looked around and saw Jane crouched down under a window of a building and he quickly worked his way towards joining her. She registered his presence and was grateful to see him. She indicated to stay low but it was safe to join her. She threw a vest at him. He saw she was already wearing one herself.

"They carried her inside. She wasn't moving. Three males all about 6' to 6'2" and all armed. I can't get a good visual on what or who is inside."

"How do you want to play this?" he asked as he finished putting on the vest.

"Call in our location to Cavanaugh. Let him decide who or what to send. Then you and I are going in, if you are willing to…"

"Jane, you didn't have to ask," he said reaching for his phone. He called Cavanaugh who answered on the first ring.

"Frost, where the hell are you and Rizzoli?"

Frost filled him in on their location and that they were going to make a move inside. That set off a string of obscenities from Cavanaugh. Frost couldn't be bothered by that so he just hung up the phone.

"You are going to pay for that later," Jane stated.

"Probably," was his response. He really didn't care. They both checked their weapons and slowly started to move forward towards a side door Jane had planned to use as their entry point. Slowly they made their way into the building. Once inside, they were greeted by a long hallway that had doorways about every twenty yards. They knew they would have to move doorway to doorway to ensure that they were not surprised by anyone inside any of the rooms.

One by one, they crept down the hallway and at each doorway Jane would cover the left side and Frost would move around Jane and look to make the entry point to the doorway. Guns drawn, ready for anything, it had the odd feel of an Academy training obstacle course. But both detectives fully understand that this was live and not a training exercise. So each doorway was approached, checked and passed. It was slow and deliberate but they were making their way towards the center of the building.

The further they went the more sounds they started to hear. As they approached the end of the long hallway Jane could start to make out the sounds of voices but they were still too far away to understand what was being said. But they were getting closer. They finally reached the end of the hallway and found a staircase. They had the option of going up or down and both instinctively voted for going up. The sounds appeared to be drifting down towards them from above and neither really considered heading down the stairs.

They reached the staircase and each took a side of the stairs. They progressed up one step at a time with their guns leading the way with determined focus. Both were fully aware of every sound that was in their vicinity and each knew that as they went higher and higher up the staircase they were in fact getting closer and closer to where the noises were coming from. They both had a hope that where the voices were was also where Maura was.

Jane knew that Maura was still alive. She didn't quite know how she knew, but she knew none the less. She was banking on the fact the kidnappers had not expected to be followed or found as quickly as Jane had found them. She was sure they thought after they left Korsak in Maura's car that their lead over any more police officers was good. They had no way of knowing that the necklace Maura was wearing had lead Jane to her. If she and Frost could find the kidnappers and Maura in the next few minutes Jane, while scared, was confident that she would be able to rescue Maura and hopefully rescue her before she was seriously injured.

They finally reached the top of the stairs finding the noises and voices that they had heard. The voices were now clearer. Jane could make out what was being said. At the top of the stairs they had the option of going either to the left or to the right. The voices were definitely coming from that level and Jane and Frost knew that they were close. They looked at each other and with a nonverbal precision that had been perfected over the years they had been partners, they had a conversation with each other about going left, going right or splitting up without ever uttering a single word.

In the end it was decided not to split up and so together they went down the left hallway to get closer to the voices. Neither felt they understood the layout of the building well enough to split up at that point and each wanted to be able to cover the other's back just in case. The entire non-verbal debate that had occurred between them took about twenty seconds. It really was rather impressive. Slowly and with deliberate caution they again began to move and work doorway to doorway and at the same time they started listening to what the voices were saying.

"When is he supposed to be here?"

"In about an hour."

"Why are we waiting for him? Let's just handle this ourselves."

"No. He is going to do it. This is personal. We have our orders and I will not be the one that screws this up for him."

"Fine."

Frost and Jane looked at each other again. They now knew they had a little time before more people were going to show up. They had what Jane estimated about one more doorway to approach, check and pass before she felt they would find the room that contained the owners of the voices that they were now listening to. With a higher sense of urgency they approached, checked and passed the last doorway before Jane was sure they would find people. They slowly approached the next doorway and Jane looked at Frost.

She could tell he, too, expected to encounter people at any time. They looked at each other again and both mentally prepared themselves for what was soon going to be a confrontation of some kind. They approached the next doorway and this time she carefully peered around the corner trying to get a look into the room. She hadn't been wrong. They had found their first room with people inside. Now the question was whether the people they had just found were also the owners of the voices that they heard or were there more people in the building.

From the angle Jane could to see into the room she saw two people who appeared to be standing in the back corner of the room. The room looked like a typical office. Most of the rooms they had checked as they approached looked like offices. Desks and chairs were seen frequently. Looking around the corner Jane did confirm that there two sets of feet in the room. She could not tell if there was a third or fourth person in the room nor could she tell if they were armed. For the moment she was going to assume the answer to the armed question was a definite yes and they would go from there.

She turned to Frost and flashed first to her eyes and then flashed two fingers at him to indicate that she saw two people in the room. He flashed his gun asking if she could tell if they were armed and she shrugged indicating that she couldn't tell at that time. They were quiet for a second trying to give the voices a chance to speak again so they could determine if the two people in the room were the owners of the voices they had heard but it didn't appear that anyone was going to be speaking anytime soon and Jane's patience had run out.

She nudged Frost and they settled on a plan of action to enter the room and gain control over the two people inside. In an act of pure precision, Frost and Jane burst into the room taking both men inside completely by surprise. In an instant both Jane and Frost recognized that the men were alone in the room, armed but not with guns in hand and totally surprised. Both Jane and Frost also understood that neutralizing each man with minimum noise was crucial as it was clear they had not found the room that contained Maura. Each approached their designated man at the same time and both with blinding speed delivered blows to the heads of each man knocking each unconscious with a surprising mix of force and silence.

Frost pulled both together, ensured that they were out cold and pulled off a pair of handcuffs from his belt and placed one cuff on each man linking them both to each other as he threaded the cuffs around a pipe that was against a wall. Neither would, without a lot of effort, be in a position to free themselves anytime soon to come to the aid of whoever else was in the building.

As if on cue, the voices picked back up again and they both knew they were close. Most likely one room away from where the conversation was taking place.

"Why is he going to do this himself?"

"Don't you know who she is? Who her father is?"

"No."

"Her father is Paddy Doyle."

"Holy shit!"

"Tell me about it."

Jane knew they were now only one room away. They turned to make sure neither of the two men they had just secured were waking up yet and they both moved to go into the hallway again. They repeated the same approach process they had on the door previous to this and Jane once again peered into the next room. This time she had a better view as this room was missing the furniture the other room had. As she looked inside, she again saw two sets of male feet which both appeared to be attached to the standing man. But she heart skipped several beats when she also saw one single set of female feet. Feet wearing disgustingly expensive Manolo Blahnik shoes. She had found Maura.

She quickly turned to Frost to indicate pay-dirt and he nodded immediately. She let herself check the room again. As hard as she tried she could not tell if the two men were armed. And she was actively trying not to focus on how hauntingly still the legs of Maura were. She appeared to be sitting in a chair but Jane could not detect any movement from her whatsoever. It was also haunting her that she had yet to hear as much as a whisper, moan or whimper from Maura.

Pulling herself back to focus it was now or never. She looked at Frost one more time and he confirmed his readiness to move forward into the room. Jane took one last long breath and both she and Frost moved into the room with guns drawn and both announced at the exact same moment, "BOSTON POLICE! HANDS UP!"

In reality the entire encounter lasted about thirty seconds. But it was the second longest thirty seconds Jane would ever experience in her whole life. Their sudden burst into the room had taken the two men by surprise but unfortunately for Frost and Jane, they were all the way across the room so a quick knock out strike was not an option. And one of them had his gun in his hand. As the milliseconds ticked by Jane and Frost were faced with one rising gun and one set of hands making a move to get a gun into its hands. And both Jane and Frost discharged their weapons. At the exact same moment.

Both of the fired bullets travelled their way across the room and both bullets found their intended targets. Both Frost and Jane had placed their aim in the exact same location just on different targets. Both aimed for the right shoulder of each man and both bullets took dead center aim at where they wanted them to go. Two near simultaneous gunshot wounds to two different right shoulders that forced one man to drop his gun and the other to be unable to reach for his. Jane and Frost both moved in to incapacitate and secure the two men. Each man received a vicious right cross to the jaw and Frost and Jane knocked over both men. Jane threw her handcuffs to Frost and as she was knocking the weapons out of arms reach and he secured both men who were now in a heap on the floor.

Second longest thirty seconds of Jane's life indeed. Second only to the next thirty seconds she was about to experience. For in the next thirty seconds was the time it took for Jane to confirm that the men had been secured, that no more were in the room and for her to make her way over to Maura. Thirty seconds. Thirty seconds of pure terror. Terror for fear of the still not moving Maura slumped over in a chair. Thirty seconds of pure hell of not being sure she was in fact alive, breathing, existing. Thirty seconds to cross the room and start to check for injuries, blood, breathing. Any signs of life. She had experienced terror before in life but nothing would ever remotely come close to those thirty seconds where she did not completely know if Maura was dead or alive.

And then she was rewarded with the happiest second of her life. Maura made a noise and moved.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

"Maura?" Jane focused in on her reaching up and tucking some of Maura's hair out from her face. "Come on Maura, open your eyes." Maura released a soft moan as she was slowly starting to come to. "Maura?"

Jane quickly flashed her eyes over to Frost. She looked up to see that he was standing by the doorway with gun still drawn and ready. He was clearly guarding the room in case others came to investigate the noise. Knowing he was standing guard made her feel secure. She grabbed her phone and dialed Cavanaugh's number. He answered on the half ring.

"Rizzoli, we are two minutes out!"

"Sir we have Maura. We are inside on the second floor. We have secured four suspects. Two have GSWs to their shoulders. We need ambulances for the four suspects but I need one for Maura. She's alive and is coming to but I need to get her to a hospital."

"Is the rest of the building secure?"

"No. Frost is guarding us right now. I have no idea if anyone else is in the building. We heard them say others were coming in about an hour. Since we secured Maura I haven't heard or seen any others but you need to order a complete sweep of the building."

"Got it! We are pulling up. I'll have SWAT sweep the building and we have a bus with us for Maura. I'll get others for your suspects. Hold your position and we will work our way towards you."

Jane disconnected the call. "They are here. SWAT will sweep the building," she said to Frost who understood and stayed ready at the door. She knew he wouldn't lower his gun until it was BPD that wanted into the room.

Jane returned her attention to Maura. While Maura was showing signs of coming to she was not alert and that was scaring Jane. She carefully let her hands feel around Maura's head and felt a large bump on the back of her head just behind her left ear. She had clearly been knocked out with something. Jane then did a quick check of arms and legs looking for any other signs of injuries but found nothing other than the bump on her head.

"Come on Maura. Open your eyes for me." Jane was pleading with Maura to wake up.

Maura slowly, quietly whispered, "Jane…"

"That's right. Wake up Maura. Come on. Can you hear me? Open your eyes for me. You're safe. I'm right here." Jane cupped Maura's cheek with her right hand.

Maura started to blink her eyes and was clearly starting to come completely around. Jane felt her try to move and she carefully placed her hands on Maura's shoulders to keep her from moving too much. "No, don't move around. You are sitting in a chair and let's keep it that way until the EMTs get here. They are just downstairs. We have to make sure it's safe for them to come up but Maura they are here. We are going to get you to a hospital." Jane was hoping that if she kept talking and explaining everything Maura would understand and not be scared or uncertain about what was happening.

Finally Maura's eyes opened all the way and stayed open. Jane could tell they were unfocused but she was happy with any progress at all. Looking into even the unfocused hazel eyes that greeted her made Jane's heart skip a beat. The hazel eyes tried to focus in on Jane.

"Jane?"

"I'm here. You are ok. A bump on the head, but ok."

"Vince…they hit him…."

"He's been found. He is on his way to the hospital," she tried to be as reassuring as she could be.

"Are you….ok?" her speech was a little slow and slurred.

"I'm fine Maura. Let's worry about you. Just hold on for me. The EMTs are right downstairs."

Frost stirred as he heard noises. But Jane heard the noises too and she quickly turned with her gun drawn as well. Both she and Frost held their breath until Frost lowered his gun. It was BPD SWAT. One of them shouted the all clear to the others.

As soon as that was heard Jane was relieved to see two EMTs enter and head over to Jane. "She's coming around and talking. Bump on the back of her head and definite loss of consciousness. I do not have any idea how long she was out," she gave as much details to the EMTs as she could and then got out of the way so they could start checking out Maura.

She walked over to Frost and placed her hand on his shoulder. "Thank you." It was all that was needed to be said in that moment. Frost just nodded.

Cavanaugh was the next to enter the room followed by two teams of other EMTs charged with tending to the two suspects with gunshot wounds.

"Rizzoli, catch me up here."

"Sir, these two," and she turned to point at the handcuffed suspects now getting medical attention, "and the two in the next room were holding Maura. Frost and I knocked out the other two and then proceeded to this room. When we entered, one had a gun in hand and the other went for his gun. Both Frost and I shot them. I had the guy with the gun and Frost took the guy going for his gun." Jane paused long enough to point out the guns from the suspects that had been pushed out of the way. "Once disarmed, Frost secured these two and I tended to Maura."

Cavanaugh nodded, "Is she ok?"

"Looks like a concussion. She was hit on the head but she's conscious now. How's Korsak?"

"Basically the same. Was hit in the head but is conscious now and being taken to Mass Gen as a precaution. Are you both ok?"

Frost nodded a yes and Jane answered, "Yes, Sir."

Cavanaugh pulled Jane aside for a minute of privacy. "Who did it?"

"It's O'Rourke Sir. It was never O'Donnell. I can't prove who in O'Rourke's family but I'm pretty sure it was ordered by Tommy O'Rourke's son, Michael. This is all about revenge not a turf war. I think all of this has been a personal plot to avenge Tommy's death and get back at Doyle by using Maura."

Cavanaugh nodded again. "I think you are right." He pulled aside an officer, "I want a full police escort for the bus that takes Dr. Isles to Mass Gen. And I want a security detail on Dr. Isles." Then officer nodded and went to set up what the Lieutenant ordered. "Jane, I'll iron out the specifics to the detail but we will give Maura protection until all of this is resolved."

Jane agreed with a nod. She had turned her gaze over to the EMTs who were loading Maura onto a gurney and getting her ready for transport. Jane walked over and took Maura's hand. "You are getting a police escort and there will be guards on your room. They won't get you again. I promise." She leans in and kisses her hand. "I'll get to the hospital as quickly as I can but Frost and I discharged our guns so we have to stay here until IA clears us."

"I'm fine. I have a headache but I am fine Jane. Just handle things here and come to me as soon as you can." Jane nodded as the EMTs and three BPD officers escorted Maura's gurney out of the room. Maura was much more alert and that made Jane feel better.

"Full protection Jane. I promise," Cavanaugh offered. "Ok. Both of you hand me your guns and IA is about two minutes out." Cavanaugh held out his hand for the guns.

Frost and Jane relinquished their weapons to Cavanaugh without issue. Standard procedure for officer involved shootings. Neither Jane nor Barry was worried about getting cleared by IA. Neither shot was fatal and the suspects had taken the Chief Medical Examiner hostage so both were confident that they had cause to discharge their weapons. It didn't mean that they could avoid the process that was about to take place.

Cavanaugh returned her focus to Jane. "Get through the IA business. Then we will talk about all of this. I assume they both know?" as he pointed to Frost and implied Korsak.

"Yes Sir, I'm sorry. But it was bigger than I could handle on my own. These guys almost got her Sean. I got lucky that they didn't get a head start on us or I don't think I could have saved her."

"Do they know everything?" he again implied Frost and Korsak.

"Yes, and I now know everything too. Everything Sean." Jane needed him to understand her.

He did. "Can you prove it?"

"Yes Sir."

Cavanaugh was a little surprised at her answer. "Ok, get this IA review handled and I'll meet you at the hospital. I'll watch over Maura until you get there."

"Thank you Sir. Frost and I will be there as soon as we can."

The entire process with IA took over an hour. They split up Barry and Jane and took both statements. Both statements matched each other's and both statements seemed to match what the evidence and the scene looked like. Jane understood the function and the need for IA. She didn't always like them but she understood them. She wasn't bothered by their presence in this situation she was just bothered that it was keeping her from being at Maura's side.

Finally both Jane and Frost were released by IA. They had both been cleared and could reclaim their guns from Cavanaugh. Frost threw the keys to the police car he borrowed to an officer and joined Jane for the trip to Mass General. While Jane didn't turn on lights and sirens for the trip to the hospital, she didn't exactly observe the posted speed limits either.

They headed into the hospital and went to the desk to find out where both Maura and Vince were. The charge nurse pointed them in the right direction but didn't give any details on either's condition. They headed off and as soon as they rounded the corner they were greeted by Cavanaugh.

"I see IA took their sweet time clearing you both," he said shaking his head.

"Where is she?" was all Jane wanted to know at the moment.

"Around the corner. 21B. It's guarded Jane."

She didn't wait to hear that part. She assumed that much. She headed off to Maura's room in a jog. She approached her room and recognized the officer on guard. He nodded and smiled at her and then stepped aside for her to enter. She pushed open the door and found Maura with her eyes closed but looking peaceful.

She slowly approached the bed again taking a look at her double checking for any signs of an injury she didn't know about. But she didn't see anything. Maura looked ok except for the fact that she was laying in a hospital bed. She had been quiet trying to figure out if Maura was sleeping but she really needed to see her eyes open and focusing. She really needed to hear her voice. So unable to resist she took Maura's hand into her and spoke her name, "Maura?"

Hearing the sound of Jane's voice Maura's eyes opened and she turned to look at her. "Hi," she said with a smile coming across her face.

"Hi yourself. How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine. I have a concussion but other than that there doesn't seem to be anything else wrong."

"Are you sure?" she didn't doubt Maura but she needed to reassured that there wasn't anything more serious wrong.

"Yes, I promise. I have a headache and they want to keep me here overnight as a precaution but I'm going to just fine."

"Have you called your mother? Do you want me to?"

Maura thought for a second. She knew she should probably inform her mother that something happened but she wasn't sure she wanted her mother to know what was going on.

Jane picked up on her hesitation and couldn't help but smile.

"What are you smiling at?" she asked.

"You're having to do what I've always had to do and probably for the first time ever," was her answer but Maura wasn't following her.

"What am I doing?"

"Debating on whether you want to tell your mother you are in the hospital. Welcome to my world," she kept her smile and squeezed Maura's hand. "This may be the first time you get to experience how active mothering can be a problem."

That made Maura smile and suddenly have a better appreciation of what Jane has gone through with Angela. "I don't want to worry her but she probably should be told."

Jane nodded, "I'll have Ma call her and let her know. It will make her feel like she is helping out." Jane pulled up a chair and sat down but she managed to do that without letting go of Maura's hand. She couldn't get herself to break the physical contact with Maura.

"Jane, they want to keep me here tonight but I'd rather go home."

Jane understood. She hated hospitals and would be asking for the same thing too if the roles were reversed. "Is that safe with a head injury?"

Maura nodded, "You'll have to check up on me a little bit more and I'm not supposed to sleep for extended periods of time to help avoid slipping into a coma, but the concussion grading wasn't that high and I doubt that is even a possibility."

Jane flinched on the word coma. She didn't want anything to ever happen to Maura again. She looked at Maura and nodded. "I want you safe but happy. So if that's home then that's home. I'll do whatever you need me to do."

"Right now I'd like you to hold me," she whispered quietly.

Jane got up out of the chair and climbed into bed with Maura. She wrapped up Maura and held her as tightly and she could. She was starting to contemplate whether they could just stay this way forever when she heard Maura whisper again.

"I'm sorry Jane."

Confused Jane looked down into her eyes. "What on Earth are you sorry about?"

"I'm sorry for letting them take…." But she was cut off by a finger from Jane pressing against her lips.

"Don't you dare even finish that sentence! There isn't anything you have to be sorry for. If anyone owes an apology here it's me. I shouldn't have left you. I knew there was a threat to you. I shouldn't have left you."

"You didn't leave me. You left me with Vince. Jane, we didn't have a chance. They were on us with no warning and all I saw was one of them hit Vince and then everything faded for me. You wouldn't have been able to stop them either."

"You don't know that. I could have. They shouldn't have gotten to you," she said and Maura knew she was getting mad at herself.

"Jane, you found me! I'm not sure how you figured it out but you found me. If you had been with me and knocked out I wouldn't have been found. Or at least found in time."

Jane heard her and even agreed but she was still mad at herself. "I'm still sorry that you had to go through this. But you are safe now and I will not let anyone else hurt you over this." She tightened her embrace of Maura.

Maura was quiet for a while but finally spoke. "Jane, what are you going to do?"

Jane knew what she was asking. "I need to get with Frost to make sure we have compiled all of the evidence against the mole and I'm going to turn that all over the Cavanaugh. It's more than enough to make a move and pull all three into custody."

"Ok, that handles the department issue. What about Doyle?"

Jane took a long breath but answered, "Cavanaugh thinks he can set up a meeting with him tomorrow. I have to talk to him Maura. He may be the only one that can end this for you permanently."

"I don't see how that can happen. I think that's what I'm scared about. I'm always going to a target for one of them."

Jane nodded. She knew that too. She knew in the end it hadn't mattered which family was going after Maura. They all had a reason. All of them. Doyle was the reason. So if he was the reason then he most certainly was the solution. The permanent fix to this was always out of Jane's hands. She could protect Maura to a point but she couldn't fix this. She hated it that it was going to have to be someone else that ended this. And Doyle was going to end all of this if Jane had anything to do with it. "I know Maura. That's why I have to see Doyle."

"How can that help?" she asked with uncertainty crossing her face.

Jane debated how to answer this question. Part of her wanted to keep Maura out of what she intended to try at the meeting with Doyle. But the rest of her was done keeping Maura out of the loop. If they were going to share their lives then she was going to have to know this too. She would end up asking one way or the other so Jane might as well just talk to her.

"Maura, I have an idea. A plan. I have no idea if it will work but it's the only thing I can think of that stands a chance at getting you completely out of something you should never have been involved with in the first place. I have a plan and you may not like it. You may not like it at all. But I need you know what I'm going to try to do tomorrow."

"Please Jane, tell me. I want to know."

So Jane proceeded to tell Maura her plan.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Maura had fallen quiet after the conversation with Jane. She understood where Jane was coming from and if this hadn't involved her personally she probably could even see the logic behind what Jane was proposing. But she was involved. And Jane was right. She didn't like it one bit. But not for the reasons she was sure Jane was assuming. No, she didn't object to Jane's plan. In fact, the premise behind it was rather ingenious. She just hated the fact that it was Jane that was going to be the one to carry it out.

She tried to volunteer herself. Jane wouldn't even consider it. She threatened to put Maura in lock-down custody before she would allow her anywhere near Cedar Junction. Jane was adamant that it be her that went and handled it all. She insisted that it would only work if it was her that did it. That was what Maura hated. Not the idea. Not the plan. There were parts of the plan she hated but she realized that it was going to be necessary. All Maura wanted was to spend her life with Jane and she wanted that life to be free of Mob threats because of Patrick Doyle. They deserved a life spent not having to look over their shoulders. Jane had a way out but the risk and the overall cost was tremendous.

Maura was blown away at the lengths Jane was willing to go for her. What Jane was proposing went way beyond anything Maura felt would be done by just about anyone else. Maura flashed to a conversation that Angela once had with her about what Jane was like when she was younger:

_Loyal. She's always been fiercely loyal to anyone she cared for that was part of her from an early age. There was something about her nature that always brought out the protector within her. Once you were in with her, you were in and she would do anything for you. Her need to protect the ones around her was always the reason I wasn't surprised when she announced that she wanted to be a cop. I think the protective nature of the work was what called to her at an early age._

Maura was now seeing that side of Jane play out in front of her. She had seen it before. Hell, she had been rescued by it before. But this, this was different. This was more than she really had any right to expect from her. The burden it would put on Jane worried Maura. A burden Maura was afraid Jane would have to live with for the rest of her life. No, she didn't like any of this plan one bit. But she couldn't see an alternative.

Jane didn't push to break the silence. She was holding Maura and considering the events of the day she was grateful to be doing so. She knew Maura was processing what she had said. She knew Maura wasn't going to like what her idea was. She had actually been surprised when Maura said she understood and agreed. But she was quiet when she agreed to the plan. Jane was worried that she was agreeing more for Jane than for herself.

And then Maura offered to go to Cedar Junction. What was that genius brain of hers thinking? There was absolutely no way Jane was going to let Maura within one hundred miles of that prison. So she threatened to throw her in lockdown. That at least got Maura to stop the crazy talk about going herself. No, this was Jane's responsibility to handle. It was her job to keep Maura safe. It was about to be her responsibility for the rest of her life so she wasn't going to pass off the job the first time that meant dealing with something unpleasant. This was for Jane to handle. Not Maura.

There was a knock on the door and Cavanaugh peaked his head in. He looked guilty for interrupting when he saw Jane was in bed with Maura still holding her. Jane, sensing Cavanaugh's slight embarrassment, kissed the top of Maura's head and regrettably removed herself from the tight embrace she had tried to maintain since she had climbed into the bed in the first place. "I'll be right back. I have to talk to him." Maura nodded her understanding. "The guard will be right outside," she wanted to assure Maura that she was safe.

Jane walked out of the room to talk to Cavanaugh. She didn't walk away until she saw the officer re-take his post and was sure Maura's room was being watched. She then started to walk and talk to Cavanaugh.

"I'm sorry to interrupt your time with her," he volunteered.

"That's alright. We have things we need to discuss and honestly I haven't even tried to see Korsak yet."

"Come on, I'll take you to his room. He's doing just fine. Same as Dr. Isles. Concussion and an overnight stay."

"Maura wants to go home tonight and I can't say that I blame her. Honestly Sean, I'd feel more secure with her not in a building open to the public. Can you arrange the protection detail for home instead of the hospital?"

"Sure thing. All I need to know is your place or hers."

"Whichever you think is easier to monitor. My gut says mine. It has limited entry points and my apartment is not on the first floor."

Cavanaugh nodded. "Ok, I'll arrange 24 hour protection for her and base it from your apartment. If she wants better surroundings we can move it to her place," he said trying to lighten the mood by taking a crack at Jane's apartment life.

"She'll be fine at my place," Jane answered. She just wasn't in the mood to be joking around. "But Sean, you can't protect her 24/7 indefinitely. I need to see Doyle. Is it arranged?"

Cavanaugh looked at her. "Yes. But it won't happen until Thursday morning."

"Thursday? Is that really the best you can do? Nothing tomorrow at all?" Jane didn't try to hide the disappointment and desperation in her voice.

"You will get in to see Doyle with as much privacy as I could manage Thursday morning. It won't be completely secret. It will get out that you went there. I just don't have the pull to make that not happen. I'm sorry about that."

"Actually Sir, I'm counting on it getting out that I went to see him," she looked him in the eyes as she said it.

"Jane, what exactly do you plan on doing at this meeting?" Cavanaugh asked with a hint of both concern and curiosity.

"We need to talk before I see Korsak. I'm going to need your help with one other thing." Jane led Cavanaugh outside of the hospital to talk without being overheard. She had a lot to tell him and there was one absolutely critical thing she needed him to do before Thursday morning. As much as Jane wanted to deal with Doyle as fast as possible the extra day may just turn out to be exactly what she needed to make sure everything was taken care of.

When she finished explaining everything Cavanaugh just looked at her. "Has anyone ever told you that you are completely nuts?"

"I hear that from my mother frequently."

"Forget that I said I may have underestimated you. I definitely underestimated you!"

"Again, motivation. I'm highly motivated here, Sir." Jane paused, "So, will you do it?"

"And Maura is ok with you doing this?" That may have been the part that shocked him the most.

"No. She hates the idea. Actually tried to volunteer to do it instead of me. But that won't happen. She does, however, realize that this is the only option we have available to us. So she is onboard. Are you?" Jane held her breath. Cavanaugh's assistance would be crucial.

"I'm onboard. I officially label you as nuts. But I'm in. Jane, if just one thing goes wrong you realize what could happen don't you?"

"Yes. But the risk is worth it. She is worth it."

Cavanaugh shook his head, "Jane I have to tell you. I never thought I'd see someone break through that wall of yours. But I'm so happy someone did. I'm sorry you both have to go through this but I consider myself very lucky to be a witness to the kind of love that the two of you share."

"Thank you Sean. I never expected I'd feel like this either. But she has that kind of effect on me. Alright, I need to see Korsak and then get back to her. She wants to go home tonight. Can you handle the change to my place? For all day tomorrow and Thursday. If this all works out we won't need the detail after Thursday."

"I'm on it. And I'll handle things on my end. I know what you need and I'll make sure it gets done." With that he left her to go arrange for protection detail to be moved from the hospital to Jane's apartment when Maura was checked out of the hospital.

Jane knocked on Korsak's door and heard an acknowledgement to come in. She entered the room and Korsak was sitting up in bed and Frost was in a chair. They were watching TV.

"How are you doing?" she asked as she walked over to one of her two partners.

"Bump on the head is all. I'll survive. How's Maura?"

"Same as you. Bump on the head."

"Jane, I'm sorry. They jumped us," and he had such guilt on his face.

"Vince, it wasn't your fault. They would have surprised any of us. I shouldn't have even asked you to watch her in the first place."

"I should have paid better attention. When I came too and she wasn't in the car, Jane I thought we lost her. I would never have forgiven myself if we had lost her."

"Hey, she's ok. You are ok. We are all ok here. Ok?" And she couldn't help but smile at that.

"Ok," and he paused but smiled. "I heard you managed to low-jack her somehow and that's how you found her."

Jane smiled a genuine smile. She still hadn't told Maura about the tracer on the necklace. She wasn't sure how Maura would react to that. The necklace was truly meant to be a gift from Jane. For the exact reason she got it for her. Her Grandma's necklace would only be worn by Maura at the wedding and Jane wanted her to have something that was a more everyday necklace.

It was Black that offered the tiny tracer suggesting adding it to a locket or charm. Jane just decided to kill two birds with one stone knowing that Maura would wear the necklace for at least a week to make Jane happy. She didn't want Maura to think the sentiment behind the necklace was false. It wasn't. "Yeah, Black gave me some really cool things to play with. Frost, I really do have to introduce you to him." Frost's face lit up like it was suddenly Christmas.

"I'm glad he did. I think it saved her," Korsak again had a flash of guilt cross his face.

"Vince, just stop it! Are you staying overnight?"

"Yes. Doctors are insistent. Is Maura?"

"She wants to go home and I think it's safer for detail to watch my place than the hospital. So we are going home tonight."

Frost nodded. "I can't blame her. I hate hospitals. And it would be too easy for someone to disguise themselves as a doctor, a nurse or a hospital worker here. Maura is safer at home."

"Cavanaugh is arranging it right now. We are going to my apartment. Better access control."

The three of them were quiet for a minute. Not an uncomfortable silence more like an exhausted silence. A lot had already happened today and the night wasn't even over yet.

"So, Jane, what happens next?" Korsak asked.

"Next, I end this. I end all of it." The determination in Jane's voice brought both Korsak and Frost to complete attention.

"What more can we do to help you?" Frost asked.

"Are you both still in? Vince? "

"Jane, stop asking. Haven't you figured out by now that both of us would walk across fire to have your back? Whatever you need means _whatever_ you need. Now spill. What is the plan?" Although it was Korsak again that spoke the words, they could have easily come from Frost and been just as sincere and true.

"Alright. Here's what I'm going to try to do…."

And she went into detail on what she thought the next two days were going to look like and what she needed from mostly Frost but Vince had a role to play too.

When she was done she looked at Frost. "Can you do it? And by tomorrow night?"

Frost was quiet for what felt like forever. It wasn't that it couldn't be done. It could. But he was unsure about the timeline. He didn't want to screw this up for Jane. He calculated what he needed to do and how he could go about taking care of it. And a thought occurred to him.

"I'm certain I can do it. But it's the time crunch I'm worried about. Another set of eyes would seal the deal. Do you think you could talk Black into helping me? If he helped I'm sure we can get you what you need by tomorrow night."

"He said to call if I needed anything else. For an ex-con he's genuinely a nice guy. Just keep him in the dark as much as possible about what all this is and I'll let him know to expect a call from you and that he can trust you."

"If I can have Black, you'll get what you need by tomorrow afternoon."

"Thanks. I'll make the call."

"Jane," Korsak looked at her. "You realize that if you get this wrong…"

"I know. So I just can't get this wrong." Failure would just not be an option.

She finished up with the guys and headed back towards Maura's room. She stopped at the nurse's station and confirmed that Maura would be heading home tonight even if it was AMA. The nurse went to try to track down the Doctor. Jane knew that wouldn't help. Her doctor wanted to go home. And home she would go.

Before seeing to the last details that would spring Maura, Jane took out the disposable cell phone and made one call. She hit a sequence of numbers and hit send. She waited for an answer.

"Hey, it's me. I need to see you. We are a go. There are details that need to be worked out." She listened and then finished the call. "Tomorrow morning 10 AM. Harvard Yard. Come alone. And don't bring your cell phone."

She then went to get her fiancée out from the hospital. It had been a long day and it was time to go home.


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N- Because you all are putting up with my tormenting you with cliffhangers and lots of unanswered questions...a bonus chapter tonight**

Chapter 20

Jane secured all the paperwork to get Maura released and she also ensured that the police protection detail beat them to her place as they headed home. When she was sure it was safe, she brought Maura home. Their conversation was at a minimum in the car on the way home. It was a combination of too much going through both their minds and both were just tired.

Once inside the apartment Maura went into the bathroom to take a shower. It had been a long day and she wanted to relax. Jane went into the kitchen to try to figure out the dinner situation. It was times like these that Jane was happy that Angela would always send home leftovers or just dinners in general to Jane and Maura. She managed to find enough food to come up with a serviceable dinner that was ready by the time Maura was finished with her shower.

She came out looking much more refreshed and even more awake than what she had when entered the shower. Clearly it was something she needed. She smiled at the dinner spread Jane had managed. It all looked good and she even found a way to work a vegetable and salad onto the table. Neither had really eaten anything that day both having worked through lunch before all the chaos started. Even with a concussion Maura was starving.

Jane pulled out the chair for Maura and then she sat down. "I know this is only leftovers but it all looks good. I'm starving," Maura offered as she started piling food on her plate.

"How's the headache?" Jane asked still concerned about her concussion. Jane had had plenty of concussions in her lifetime. She was usually plagued with a headache, general overall fuzziness and an upset stomach when she was concussed.

"Still there but not as bad as it was a couple of hours ago. Unfortunately you will have to make sure that I don't sleep for too long throughout tonight but honestly Jane, I'm going to be ok."

Jane nodded and they both seemed to let eating dinner become the temporary priority. Dinner finished quickly and Jane handled the cleanup insisting that Maura just get comfortable on the couch and try to relax. Maura didn't head to the living room. Instead she pulled up a barstool and watched as Jane did the dishes.

"No, don't even say it. I don't need help with the dishes. If you are going to sit on that stool then stop thinking about trying to help with the cleanup."

It was scary how well Jane knew her. Even something as simple as dishes and dinner clean up as that was exactly what she was thinking. It made her smile. "Alright. I'll just sit here and watch you do all the work."

Maura's cell phone rang and she looked at the caller ID. It was her mother. She answered on the second ring. "Hello Mother."

"Sweetheart, are you ok?" came the worried questioning from Constance. She was in New York for an art show and Angela must have just finally reached her.

"Yes Mother, I'm fine. I'm even home."

"What happened? Angela didn't have too many details to offer me just that you suffered a concussion and were in the hospital."

"I'm fine now. I'm home. Jane is keeping an eye on me."

"What happened?"

Maura didn't really want to get into the long history of what had happened today over the phone with Constance. She wasn't really sure what to tell her and what not to tell her. Again, she was slowly having a better appreciation for Jane's delicate handling of Angela over the years.

Jane, sensing Maura was having an issue figuring out how to handle Constance, motioned to Maura to hand over the phone. Maura gratefully relinquished it to Jane.

"Hello Constance," Jane offered.

"Jane, what is going on? Is Maura ok?"

"She is ok. She does have a concussion but she is good enough to have given me detailed care instructions for her for the next twelve hours. So, I would say that her genius brain is intact."

That seemed to appease Constance a little bit. "But what happened? Angela didn't have many details."

"That's because she wasn't given too many details to give you. I'm sorry about that. That is my fault. Unfortunately Maura was injured in the midst of an investigation. She got hit in the back of the head. But, again, I promise that she is doing ok. She has a slight headache which is why she passed the phone to me. I think the noise may be too much for her right now."

Maura watched the fine line Jane flirted with her mother. Technically nothing Jane had said had been untrue. She was just leaving out a lot of details. If Maura hadn't had the headache that she had at the moment she would have thought to take some notes. With Constance becoming a more active presence in her life she had the feeling this was a skill she was going to have to acquire.

"Constance, it's not necessary that you try to come home early. I promise. Maura is home. I'm watching out for her. She will be monitored all day tomorrow. Things here are under control. Keep your return plans for Friday. Really."

"Are you sure?" she had doubts.

"I'm sure. I will call you immediately if there is any significant change in Maura's condition." Reluctantly Constance conceded to Jane's answers and promised to call back first thing in the morning to check in on Maura. Jane disconnected the phone and looked at Maura. "What?"

"Nothing. You're good though," she said with a smile.

"Years of practice," and she returned the grin. "She can't do anything and if you say one word about Doyle to her she'll come home early. I'm happier with her out of town. I'm having a hard enough time keeping the details away from Ma."

"I'd have broken out in hives if I had finished that call."

"Well, that's why you have me in your life. Now, let's get you into bed. You have a series of power naps to get started for tonight."

"I have you in my life because I love you," she said as she got up to head towards the bedroom.

They made their way to the bedroom and got ready for bed. They both climbed in and Maura again reminded Jane about when to wake her up to make sure she was ok and what she should do if she couldn't wake her up during the night.

Jane heard her but was not listening. She was focusing on just being able to hold Maura in her arms. Maura had curled herself up into Jane as tightly as she could and snuggled in. Jane was trying not to focus in on just how close she had come to losing this today. As a reaction to that thought she tightened her hold on Maura.

Maura sensed the reasoning behind the tightened hug. "I'm ok Jane. I'm still here," she softly whispered.

"And here is where you will always be. Here is where you belong."

They both made it through the night. Jane did her duty waking Maura up every few hours just enough to make sure that she was ok. She would then hold her until she fell back asleep. Jane dozed a little here and there but for the most part remained awake. She had a lot of details to sort out before Thursday morning.

Morning came faster than Jane expected. Sure that Maura was out of the woods from the concussion Jane skipped the last scheduled wake up session and let Maura stay asleep. She needed the rest and neither really felt the concussion was bad enough to really be an issue. She slipped out of bed at around 8 am and went into the kitchen. She knew her mother would be over soon. Jane had arranged for Angela to stay with Maura for today while Jane finished the remaining preparations. Maura had the police security detail but Jane didn't want her to be alone until all of this was settled.

Promptly at 8:30 there was a knock on the door. Jane opened the door for her mother to enter. "Jane, what is going on and why are there police guarding your apartment?"

"Ma, first of all, keep it down. Maura is still sleeping and she needs the rest. Second, the police detail was ordered by Cavanaugh to help keep an eye on Maura."

Angela pushed past Jane and entered the kitchen, "Ok, that answers every question but why. Why does Maura need police protection? What happened last night?"

Jane was deliberately vague with the details last night on the phone with Angela. There was no way she was going to tell her mother that she was mixed up with the mob. "Ma, Maura got hurt yesterday. It's tied to an investigation and Cavanaugh is just being careful. Maura is fine. It was just a concussion. She will be alright."

Angela was not at all satisfied with that as an explanation but she didn't push it. She read Jane's body language and she knew she wasn't going to get anything more from Jane even if she tried. She'd just get it from Maura later.

"No. You will not bother Maura about any of this so just get that thought right out of your head," Jane looked at Angela.

"I didn't say anything."

"You didn't have to Ma. Please, for me, just leave her be about all of this today. She doesn't need to relive yesterday. Please."

"Of course. I don't want to upset her," Angela said with sincerity.

Jane walked towards the bedroom and looked in on Maura. As if on cue, Maura rolled over and sprawled out across the entire bed. Jane snickered to herself. _I'm marrying a complete bed-hog_ she thought. She then pulled the door shut to not wake up Maura. She walked back into the kitchen to talk to Angela.

"Ma, I need a couple of favors from you."

"Sure, what do you need?"

"First, I need you to stay with Maura today. I have several things I have to deal with and I don't want her to be alone today. You should stay here if you can but the police detail will escort you both to wherever you need or want to go just make sure you tell them where that will be. If she wants to go to her place that's fine but the detail should sweep the entire house before you both go inside. Got that?"

Angela nodded. She was very concerned that Jane was methodically explaining things about security details and house sweeps. The control in her voice when she talked must be what she reserves for work situations. "Ok, I can do that. What else do you need?"

Jane looked past Angela and at the bedroom door. After a second she returned her gaze back at her mother. "Secondly, I need help arranging a surprise for Maura. And you are the only person that can help me."

This made Angela beam. Her daughter was asking for her help. That almost never happened. "What kind of surprise?"

"I'll tell you but you have to swear to me that you will keep this to yourself. I want it to be a surprise so you can't ruin that for me."

"I promise!" she said excitedly. She was about to share a secret with Jane and maybe do something nice for her future daughter-in-law.

"Ok, so this is what I want to do…"

Twenty minutes later Maura rolled over and was awake. She let her arm stretch out to feel for Jane but she had a feeling that since she was taking up most of the bed that meant Jane was already up and not in the room. She let herself slowly wake up and was surprised her head didn't hurt like she expected it to. The bump on the back of her head was still tender to the touch but she was without a severe headache. She sat up slowly making sure not to test her equilibrium too quickly and that was probably the right thing to do because she was a little wobbly when she tried to stand up. She let the room settle and slowly tried to get up again and this time it went better.

She heard voices in the kitchen and correctly guessed that Angela had made it over. She knew Jane had arranged for Maura to have Angela as company for today until Jane finished with all the details for Thursday. Thursday. The idea of what was still to happen just lingered in the air. She had wanted to talk more to Jane last night but she fell asleep before she could get into it. Maura still hated the idea of what Jane was going to have to do and was starting to feel guilty that all of it was happening simply to protect her. She shook off the thoughts for now and went to join Jane and Angela.

"Look who's up," acknowledged Jane as Maura entered the kitchen.

"Good morning," she got out before she was assaulted by Angela. Angela had her in a massive bear hug before either Jane or Maura could react.

"Maura, I was so worried about you! Are you ok? How's your head? Are you dizzy? Do you want any food? Should you have coffee?" Angela rattled off the series of questions so fast it was pointless to even try to answer any of them.

"Ma, loosen the grip up! You will suffocate her," Jane tried to help Maura out of the Angela bear hug. Maura smiled through all of this. It was still unexpected that people cared this deeply for her. But they did. Jane really had succeeded in giving her a family. And she loved her for it. But she was glad when Angela relented her hug.

"Angela, I'm fine. But thank you for the concern. Somewhere in that string of questions I heard a coffee reference," she had said but was greeted by a fresh cup from Jane before she could officially ask for a cup. "Thank you."

They all settled into some small talk until Jane excused herself to get cleaned up. Thirty minutes later Jane emerged and approached Maura. "I have to go. Lots to settle today. Are you going to be ok?"

"Yes, go. I have Angela and a full security detail. I'll stay out of trouble. I've already caused eno.." but she was cut off from finishing that thought by Jane's lips. It was a tender, slow kiss that would have had the potential to turn into something more if Angela wasn't also standing in the kitchen with them.

"Don't even think that. I won't let you go there," Jane stated once the kiss was broken.

"I'm sorry but…" and Jane again cut her off with a kiss. At the end of this one they both had smiles on their faces.

Jane leaned into Maura and whispered, "We are starting something I can't finish with my mother in the kitchen. But tonight, you are all mine." She pulled back and had a mischievous and seductive grin on her face. It made Maura's whole body tingle with anticipation.

After a moment Jane turned to Angela. "Keep an eye on her. Try to get her to take a nap this afternoon. She didn't get a lot of sleep last night." Angela nodded. Jane turned to Maura, "I'll be back as soon as I can. If you go out tell the detail where exactly you want to go and let them check things out first."

"I think we are good here. I won't make any of this harder than it needs to be."

With that promise, Jane headed out for her first of several meetings on the day.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

Frost found himself back that the Boston Public Library for the second day in a row. Jane hadn't had a bad idea yesterday of meeting here. It was a nice quiet place to be able to search those hard drives and files without anyone else knowing what he was working on. He was here the minute the place opened. He had a deadline and he wasn't going to blow it. Jane needed him.

His assignments for the day were generally simple. He had the easy part of all of this. The part that didn't pose any risk. He had two main assignments. First, he had to compile all the evidence he could against the mole, Connors and patrol officer Johnson. He needed to create a file for each person and get as much of the documents, text messages, emails and other electronic data that linked the three to the mob as he could.

All of that information was going to be given to Cavanaugh to use. Cavanaugh was charged with obtaining and executing the arrest warrants for the three dirty cops. Not an easy task considering who the mole was. He had to get and execute the warrants without tipping off anyone that it was going to happen. And he had to execute the warrants at the exact same time and in coordination to Jane's visit to Cedar Junction.

Frost had the evidence. There was more than enough to merit arrest warrants but he wanted to get it all as the more information he could put together the better it would be for Jane. It was his second task that was going to be the harder of the two tasks. And it was the one that Jane counted on the most. He needed to unencrypt the email address the mole, Connors and Johnson had all sent emails to over the years. Jane absolutely needed to have their contact source within the Irish mob for her plan to work. She couldn't go into the meeting with Doyle without knowing that information.

Frost knew his knowledge of electronics was good enough to crack the encryption but probably not by the deadline. He needed help. And help was coming in the form of an ex-military, ex-con named Daniel Black. Frost was actually looking forward to meeting with him. The equipment he had secured for Jane was amazing and Frost was hoping he could forge a long standing relationship with a clear electronics expert. The algorithms he wrote for extracting the files Frost was reviewing was beyond Frost's capability.

Black arrived at the library right on time. Jane had called him on the only number he ever answered and explained what more she needed. He was a little reluctant to meet up with another cop but he had checked up on Frost and found nothing that made him suspicious. He knocked on the meeting room door and Frost let him into the room.

"Thanks for coming Daniel. We really need some help. Did Jane explain the situation?"

"She did. Seems my encryption algorithm has found something it can't unencrypt. I'm surprised by that. Whoever they have on their end must have ties to the military. Let's see what you have."

Frost and Jane had decided to be honest with Black if he asked for details. She owed him Maura's life. Had he not suggested the necklace tracer Jane knew Maura would probably be dead right now. But they also were going to try to keep details from him. He was ex-military and both Jane and Frost thought there was decent chance he would be comfortable with a 'need-to-know' basis and not ask a lot of questions. Frost could easily handle the document retrieval from the Command Center computer. It was the encryption he was struggling with and that was what he wanted Black to work on.

Black pulled out his own laptop and started to get to work. He wasn't much for conversation and he didn't ask any questions other than to see the email address. He looked at what Frost gave him and felt confident that he could find the owner of the account within the next three hours. Frost left him alone to get to work. He started loading up flash drives for each dirty cop.

Korsak had been given several assignments to help Jane. Promptly at 9 am he made his way up to the Suffolk County District Attorney's office. He got into the elevator and traveled to the seventh floor. There he flashed his badge and asked to speak with DA Patrick Hagan. Korsak liked and trusted Hagan. It was the reason he was here. Hagan's secretary alerted Hagan that Korsak was waiting and she was instructed to send him into the office.

"Vince, long time!" Hagan said as he got up and walked around from his desk. "You didn't get into much detail over the phone this morning. What can I do for you?"

Korsak shook Hagan's hand and then turned and closed the door to Hagan's office. "Pat, I'm in need of a lot of help. And you have to keep this quiet for right now." Korsak made a move to sit down and Hagan returned to his desk chair. He hadn't seen such a serious look on the detective's face in a very long time.

"What's going on Vince?"

"I need help obtaining arrest warrants for three dirty cops. I have evidence that three people from BPD are on the take and in with the Irish mob. Lieutenant Cavanaugh and I want to make a move on all three individuals but we need arrest warrants to do that. I need your help securing the arrest warrants and we need those warrants to be served tomorrow at the exact same moment."

"I can get you arrest warrants if you have evidence. I'd have to see the evidence first but it shouldn't be too hard to manage. What do you have?"

"Emails, text messages and encrypted documents linking our three suspects to the Mob. I will be able to get you copies to look at this afternoon. It is all being put together as we speak."

"Ok, so if the evidence is good why the worried look on your face? And why come straight to me?"

"Because of who one of the dirty cops is. You won't believe it but it's true."

"Alright try me. Who are the three?"

"The first is a patrol officer from District C-6 named Johnson, the second is William Connors…"

"Connors? Seriously? Connors leads the Organized Crime unit! He's on the take?"

"Yes. But he isn't the Big Fish, Pat. There's someone even bigger than that."

"Vince, what exactly have you gotten yourself into here?"

"A rather large mess to be honest with you."

"Who's the Big Fish?"

And Korsak told him. Hagan turned three shades paler. "What? Can? How? Can you prove this? I mean really, really prove this? Not an instinct or a gut. Not a tip or a suspicion. A real, tangible concrete proof prove this?"

"Yes, we can. With enough evidence that it will send them all to jail permanently."

Hagan now understood why Vince had the worried look on his face. This was big. Huge. Huger than huge. "I need to see the evidence. I can't make a move on this until I see it for myself."

Korsak nodded. "It will be ready by noon for you to look at. But there are some conditions and they are not up for negotiations."

Hagan now looked pale and confused. "What conditions?"

"First, not a single word about this to anyone. Not yet. There are things that are going to happen that make it absolutely crucial that the timing and rollout of all of this happens in a precise and exact way. So I'm serious Pat. No text messages. No emails. No cell phone calls. Nothing about this to anyone until you get my personal and in person go ahead."

Hagan nodded in agreement to that. He could live with that.

"Second, you will be able to see a copy of what we have today but not everything. Enough to absolutely convince you that all three are dirty and enough to convince a judge to issue the warrant. But you get none of it until Monday." Korsak pushed back the date to keep Hagan out of the loop on the pending confrontation with Doyle tomorrow. Hagan would actually get the files Thursday night if everything went according to plan. He just didn't want to tip him off that something specific was planned for Thursday so Monday sounded like a good time table.

"Why Monday?"

"Again, there are things going on and we can't release custody of the evidence until Monday. That is non-negotiable."

Hagan reluctantly agreed. If he could see some evidence why couldn't he see it all and have it all? He didn't understand Monday but was in no position to bargain with Korsak.

"Third, you can never reveal where you initially got this information. Not to anyone. Not a judge. Not another lawyer. Not the US Attorney's office. No one. There is legal access to all of this if you know where to look for it so you won't have any chain of custody issues to worry about or any search and seizure concerns." Korsak knew the information on the Command Center computer was the absolute property of the Boston Police Department and not one of the three dirty cops had a search and seizure argument for illegal activity conducted on BPD issues electronics equipment. They had all signed a release years ago granting unfetted access and search rights. Chain of custody would be fine.

That was one of the reasons the arrest warrants needed to be executed at the exact same time. The Big Fish needed to be prevented from attempting to wipe out the evidence from the computers. All three had to go down at the same time and the computers needed to be seized for evidence flawlessly to ensure nothing got erased.

Hagan thought for minute and agreed. "Ok. If you can promise me that the evidence is not tampered with, untainted and I won't have issues with suppression, I won't tell anyone it was you that gave it to me in the first place."

"Oh, it's not coming from me. I'm just a messenger in all of this."

"Who's it coming from then?"

"The bravest person I have ever known." And that was all he would say about that.

Korsak wrapped up the details with Hagan. They arranged to meet later that afternoon when Korsak had copies of enough evidence against the three cops to obtain the warrant. Hagan agreed to seek out the one judge he trusted above them all and start the process for arrest warrants. He would not mention names or titles to the judge without seeing evidence. And he assured Korsak that the judge he had in mind would keep things quiet once identities were revealed. Korsak then left the DAs office and headed to the station to speak with Cavanaugh.

Cavanaugh has his tasks to complete before tomorrow just like the rest of the group. He was absolutely amazed at what Jane had proposed and her willingness to go ahead with the plan. Especially considering the risks involved. Part of him wanted to try to talk her out of doing it but he was pretty sure she was going to try something with or without his help. So, he needed to help her.

His first task in all of this was to meet with the highest ranking member of the Boston Police Department. Superintendent in Chief Max Hamilton. Cavanaugh had requested and was granted a private meeting with Hamilton. He had known Hamilton for years and they had a fairly decent relationship. So at 9 am Cavanaugh made his way to Hamilton's office.

As he knocked on the door he was immediately greeted by Hamilton. "Sean, come in. I was just finishing a call and then I'm all yours."

Cavanaugh was quiet for a second and then heard talking. It was clear Hamilton was on a conference call. Hamilton signaled that the phone was on mute so it was ok for him to speak. "Thanks for seeing me. It's fairly urgent."

Hamilton nodded. "This call is about to wrap up. They just hit Q & A and no one will throw anything out there." And sure enough, no one on the call had any questions and the call ended. Hamilton hung up and then turned his attention to Cavanaugh. "Now Sean, what's so urgent?"

"Can we go for a walk and talk please?" He did not want to have this discussion inside the building. Paranoia was starting to get to him.

Hamilton was a little surprised but agreed. "Let's go get a cup of coffee." He indicated to his secretary that he was stepping out for a while and they both headed to the elevators. Cavanaugh deliberately kept the conversation casual and both got caught up on the status of each other's families. Hamilton picked up on the hint that Sean wasn't going to talk the issue until they were outside.

Once outside, Cavanaugh took control of the conversation. "I found the mole."

Hamilton froze. "What?"

"I know who the mole is," he said again and started walking. Hamilton scrambled a little to catch up with Cavanaugh.

"Who is it and can you prove it?"

"I can prove it. And there are actually three people you will have to deal with but the other two are small fish."

"Sean who is it?"

Cavanaugh took a breath. He normally had nerves of steel but he was about to try and virtually blackmail the highest ranking officer in the department. The man could crush Sean's career in the blink of an eye. But, he had things he needed. Jane had things she needed. The answer to the question was the leverage he needed to get what he wanted.

"Before I tell you that or show you one piece of evidence that I have uncovered there are things I need."

Hamilton looked incredulous. "Just tell me the names Sean. That's an order."

That made Cavanaugh cringe but he proceeded. "With all due respect, Sir, this isn't a traffic ticket we are talking about. And there are some guarantees I need to have before I can tell you anything. This has to play out my way or it won't play out at all."

Hamilton was mad but nodded. "What is it you want?"

"I need to control the arrests of the three individuals. And that arrest has to happen tomorrow."

Hamilton didn't say a word. He was waiting for the next demand. But no more would come. He finally realized that. "That's it? You just want credit for the collars and it has to happen tomorrow?"

"No, I don't want credit for the collars. This isn't about glory Max. I want to control how they happen. Give the credit to whoever you want. But I need to control the time and manner of the execution of all three arrest warrants."

"Why?"

"Because there is more at stake here that you will ever understand. I must be able to determine and control the arrests without interruption or interference. And the only person that can guarantee me that is you. So, promise me that, promise me that I can handle the arrests and that it can happen tomorrow and I will tell you everything I know about all three of the bastards."

Hamilton was quiet for a moment. He had tried for years to figure out who within the department was the mole. If Cavanaugh could tell him that answer and all he had to do was let the arrests happen how Sean wanted he felt that was a reasonable request. He had known Sean for years and trusted him to do the right thing. So, he conceded. "Fair enough. Alright Sean. This will go down how you see fit. I'll make sure of it."

Cavanaugh looked at Hamilton. Everything within him shouted that he could trust him to live up to his agreement. So, he told him who the Big Fish was. Sean had done his part. He would coordinate the three arrests tomorrow but other than that he knew the rest would be up to Jane.

Jane strolled around Harvard Yard waiting for her meeting. She hated waiting. She hated it even more today. Everything that had happened over the last month had fried her nerves. And now that they were so close to the end of all of this everything seemed to mean more. To matter more. She really just wanted all of this to be done and over.

She was surprised at how all of this was evolving. She had planned on just handling this on her own. Not telling anyone what was going on and just doing it. But then she told Maura. Told her everything. And then Korsak and Frost. And Cavanaugh. She was surprised that she trusted people enough to fill them in. And she was surprised just how much better she felt because she had shared this with people. Not so much because others were helping with tasks but more because for the first time she didn't feel alone anymore. And that was Maura's doing. And she knew she would owe that debt for the rest of her life. So doing this. Handling this. This was such a small price to pay to make Maura safe.

She looked up and saw her contact. He approached. "You're late," she said without disguising her annoyance.

"I've been busy. This hasn't been exactly easy to arrange you know."

"So, you can arrange it?"

"Yes."

"Everything?"

"Yes."

"And you can guarantee it?"

"Yes."

Jane was skeptical. "You can plant your guys in the prison?"

"That's already done."

"You can guarantee that your guys are involved with setting up my meeting tomorrow?"

"That is already handled too."

"They have total control?"

"Yes."

"Of the room?"

"Yes."

"Everything in the room?"

"Yes."

"So they can get me what I will need?"

"Yes."

"You know I won't be able to get my gun past the front door."

"Yes."

"So your guys can handle that for me?"

"Yes."

"The weapon will be there?"

"Yes."

"And it will be your guys escorting him to the room?"

"Yes."

"And your guys doing the search of him before he enters that room with me?"

"Yes."

"And your guys know how to handle things after it's done?"

"Yes."

"Alright. I'll deliver on my end."

"Are you absolutely sure you want to go through with this?"

Jane was quiet for a minute. It was definitely too late to turn back now. It was her turn to give a single word answer.

"Yes."


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N Warning on a RATING change. This chapter is definitely very M and not T. If that bothers you I suggest skipping the read of this. (Sorry but the girls have earned some time together) You won't miss out on any relevant plotlines. Next chapter will go back to T. Consider yourself warned. **

Chapter 22

By noon Frost had everything Jane needed. Including the unencrypted email address and owner. Jane had been right about that too. Frost was amazed at just how gifted a detective his partner was. She knew who the mole was before they found proof. She knew who the Irish mob source for the emails was before they unencrypted the email address. She managed to hack into the BPD data base without detection. She managed to be smart enough to add that third tracer to Maura that let them find her both she got hurt. Jane singlehandedly came up with the plan for ending all of this and the plan was ingenious. Frost was convinced that there wasn't anything his partner couldn't do.

By 1 pm Frost had delivered the relevant flash drives to Korsak. Korsak was working with DA Hagan to secretly obtain arrest warrants. Frost had given Korsak two sets of three flash drives. The first set was to be used to show Hagan the proof against each of the three dirty cops. The second set had everything Frost could find. Some it the information they did not want Hagan to know about before the arrests and Jane's meeting with Doyle. Hagan would get both sets of flash drives Thursday night as long as things went as planned.

By 2 pm Korsak had another meeting with Hagan to review the flash drives Frost had prepared. Hagan was floored. There was more than enough evidence for convictions against all three. Korsak had been correct. He was assured again that there would be no search and seizure suppression issues and that all of the information he was looking at would be seizable to control chain of custody. Korsak just would not tell him where the information was being stored until after all three were arrested Thursday. And Korsak promised all of the information would be given him by Monday. Hagan knew this would change his career and his life. He was now willing to handle this anyway Korsak needed it. This arrest had the potential to put Hagan into public office.

By 3 pm Hagan had secured the arrest warrants for all three suspects. The judge he went to had sworn out the arrest warrants and had promised to keep them sealed until they were legally executed. He understood the sensitivity surrounding the Big Fish. In fact, the judge personally typed out the warrants to help avoid having anyone on his staff see the name and spill the beans.

By 4 pm Cavanaugh confirmed with Hamilton that the arrest warrants were signed, sealed and delivered. He arranged for a meeting with Hamilton to occur outside of the station so he could detail the exact manner in which the warrants would be executed the next day. Hamilton requested to see the evidence at the next meeting and Cavanaugh promised to bring a sample but not all of it. That would have to do.

By 5 pm all of the details were set. The arrest warrants were ready. The plan for the execution was set and signed off on by the highest ranking member of the Boston Police Department. Duties were given. Cavanaugh and Hamilton would execute the arrest warrant for the Big Fish. Korsak got the honors of arresting Connors and Frost would handle Johnson. Each with select and sufficient backup but without that backup understanding what or where they were going. Cavanaugh, Korsak and Frost all handpicked who they were going to use as back up.

By 6 pm, Jane had her last meeting to confirm everything for Thursday was set up. Every detail she could think of was checked and double checked. She had been given the unencrypted email address by Frost earlier in the day and that was her last missing piece to the puzzle. But it was going to be the piece that got her where she needed to be. In less than 24 hours this would all be over and Maura would be free of the threats to her life and her future.

Jane was not sure if she would ever be free of what was about to transpire but it was all worth the risk in the end. Maura never asked to be a part of any of this. She was an innocent in all of this. She deserved a life without worry or fear. Jane was in a position to make that happen and she was going to deliver that for Maura. No matter how everything played out tomorrow, Jane knew Maura was worth all of this. Jane headed home to spend the rest of the night with Maura. If one thing went wrong tomorrow, Jane was fully aware that tonight may be the last night she ever spent with Maura and she wasn't going to waste it.

So at 7 pm Jane entered her apartment to find her fiancée and her mother finishing up the dinner preparations. The food smelled wonderful and Jane was starving. There was some casual conversation with Angela about the day. True to her word, Maura and Angela never left the apartment. She hadn't wanted to make the police detail do any extra work. Both ladies chatted, busied themselves with wedding preparation details and tried to stay relaxed. Maura was feeling better and was showing no ill effects from the concussion. After about fifteen minutes Angela excused herself so her two girls could have dinner in private. Jane escorted her to the door.

"Are you going to tell me what's really going on at some point?" Angela asked.

Jane smiled. She never really could keep anything from Angela. "Ma, Maura and I will explain everything to you and Constance this weekend. How about that?"

Angela was a little surprised at Jane's willingness to share without a fight. But Jane had become more open to several things recently. Angela definitely loved the recent changes with her daughter. "I wish I knew now but I can wait until this weekend if you both think that's necessary."

Jane nodded and kissed Angela's cheek. "It is. And you can. Thanks for today. I appreciate you being here for her. For me."

"I'll always be there for you both. Remember that. Same time tomorrow?"

"Earlier if you can. I have to be somewhere early and I'd like you with her again tomorrow. Can you be here at 7?"

Angela nodded. "7 it is. Have a good night. Enjoy dinner and I'll see you in the morning." And with that, she left the two ladies alone.

Maura walked up behind Jane as soon as the door closed and embraced her from behind. "I missed you today," she said and placed several small kisses on the base of Jane's neck.

Jane shifted in her arms and leaned in for a long, passionate kiss. "I missed doing that today," she managed as they broke from the kiss. Jane could easily have let all of this get started but knew she needed food first. So she forced herself to break away. "Dinner. Then, Dr. Isles, you are all mine for the rest of the night."

"Why Detective, are you trying to seduce me?" she asked with a sheepish grin.

"Been there, done that. I just want you. But first, food." Reluctantly they broke from the embrace and settled at the table to eat dinner.

If there was a contest for how quickly two people could consume a three course meal without choking on anything, Jane and Maura would have been contenders that night. Maura normally found fast eating to be horrible table manners but the agenda for the evening called for a complete suspension of the norms and she didn't care in the least. In fact she powered through her meal faster than Jane which was definitely an impressive feat.

The clean-up-right-after-dinner norm was definitely suspended for the evening. The damn dishes would have to wait. Once both were fed they seemed to be at each other's side in an instant. They both knew what was going to happen the next day. They both understood the danger and the risks. And they both seemed determined to use tonight to prove to the other just exactly how much each loved the other. They wouldn't talk about it anymore that night. Tomorrow would be tomorrow. This night was now solely about them and their love for each other.

It started in the living room. Somehow they had at least found the couch. Jane was pretty sure that when the kissing started she had slowly walked Maura towards the couch until they both could lower themselves. Maura didn't care how they got there. She just recognized the couch underneath her and used it to get the body of Jane on top of her as quickly as she could.

Lips and tongues worked their individual magic's. Both knew each other so well that both understood exactly where and how to use the flick of a tongue or the pressure from the lips to elicit soft, longing moans from the other. Jane knew Maura's weak spot just below her earlobe. It could always make her melt. Maura knew Jane's weakness at the pulse point of her neck. Each took a good long turn on the other.

Hands worked at and fumbled with clothes. Jane was significantly more dressed than Maura having had the need to leave the apartment for the day. So Maura had her work cut out for her in the disrobing category. She had to traverse buttons, snaps, belts and hooks. If the feel of Jane's anticipation building hadn't been such a turn on she would probably have been bothered by the fully dressed detective. But, she made do with what she had to work through and managed, quite skillfully, to still remove the unwanted apparel from Jane with lighting quick speed. Jane had it easier. A loose t-shirt, yoga pants and panties. Childs-play for her.

The sensations each felt from the other's naked body pressing against them sent shockwaves through both. They both understood that emotions were running higher tonight but neither had come close to getting over or used to or bored with the way the other's skin just felt against their own. There was such electricity that flew between them.

Electricity yes but speed no. They had all night. And they both intended to take all night to enjoy each other. The movements were filled with passion but not haste. Jane worked her way with her tongue down Maura's neck pausing to linger in all the right places. She worked her way down to Maura's breasts and then spent several minutes attending to each of them diligently working both over with her tongue, her teeth, her lips and even her fingers. Maura leaned backed and just enjoyed the sensation of Jane's mouth and hands ravishing her body.

Maura was getting worked up just with what Jane was doing with her tongue. She arched her hips into Jane trying to give a subtle hint that Jane's travels should continue southward. Jane picked up on the hint and made one last pass across her breasts and started running her tongue and lips down Maura's abs. She let her hand slowly move towards Maura's inner thigh where it started to rub and caress tenderly but deliberately avoiding areas Maura desperately wanted to be touched.

"Please…I need to feel you," Maura was not immune to pleading for what she wanted.

"Patience love. You will most certainly be rewarded tonight," was all Jane teased. She wasn't going to rush any of this. It was going to be deliberate, passionate and as erotically intense as she could possible manage. She let her hand and fingers run subtle, soothing patterns along Maura's inner thigh maintaining constant body contact and all the while she slowly worked her lips and tongue up and down Maura's inner thighs.

Jane let her hand inch closer and closer to Maura's center but she avoided direct penetration. She wasn't going for a quick release she was going for a slow build up. Maura understood this and was trying to oblige but the overwhelming sensations of the moment were quickly building up for her and she wasn't going to last much longer. In fact there was decent chance Jane would succeed in pushing Maura over the edge without any penetration at all. Which had been Jane's plan.

Jane let her fingers rub small circles over the outsides of Maura's folds softly with enough pressure to be felt but light enough to work her up to the edge without pushing her over quite yet. As she felt Maura getting closer and closer she would pull back to continue to tease letting herself make another lap around Maura's inner thighs with her tongue. Maura was on the brink and couldn't take it anymore.

"Pleeease. I need you. Now!"

Maura's voice when it was full of desire was the most alluring sound Jane would ever hear in her life. Just hearing it made Jane give in and end the teasing. She inched herself closer to Maura and proceeded to let her tongue make the first moves towards penetration. That was all it took for the already on the edge Maura. Her first orgasm was almost instantaneous. As soon as Jane's tongue touched her she come with a shudder loudly moaning Jane's name.

Jane didn't let the quick release distract her. Her tongue kicked into overdrive and continued to do wonderful things to Maura as she rode out her first. Because Jane didn't stop her lapping the second orgasm came virtually on top of the first and Maura had absolutely no time to recover. Body trembling and breathless Maura felt as if every nerve ending in her body was choosing that moment to explode with sensation and it was almost overwhelming. Jane let her body ride out the second allowing Maura for the moment to at least catch her breath.

But the rest didn't last long. Just as Maura was beginning to believe she was going to be able to gain some composure and start to reciprocate what Jane had started, Jane slowly let her fingers enter Maura. It took Maura by surprise and she let out a shattering cry. Maura had experienced multiple orgasms before but not three this close together. It was almost too much. Jane thrust her fingers in and out of Maura in the perfect pace and in what felt like both an eternity and no time at all Jane took Maura way past the edge for the third time and Maura was absolutely spent by the time her body stopping the spasms Jane had brought upon her.

Jane withdrew her fingers and slowly kissed her way back up to Maura's mouth and gave as passionate of a kiss as she could onto the lips of the still gasping for breath woman underneath her. Movement, thoughts, coherence all were void of Maura. Jane, with a rather smug smile across her face, rested into the spent woman and listened to her heart race and slowly return to a normal pace. Maura's breathing returned to normal and she finally attempted to speak.

"That…..was…God Jane….you are incredible."

"I love you," was Jane's only response.

"I need….recover….just give me a minute," she still was working up to full sentences.

"We have all night."

It took several minutes for recovery to really kick in for Maura. Her whole body was still shaking and her limbs felt like Jello but she knew it was definitely her turn to return the favor. When she finally felt as if she had control of all her limbs and could direct them to behave in the manner she wanted she signaled her recovery was complete by first leaning into Jane for a passionate kiss and secondly by managing to force a position shift from the bottom to the top.

Successfully readjusted, Maura let her lips and tongue work a masterful dance over, on and between Jane's tongue and lips. She ran her tongue down and across Jane's neck and nibbled lightly along the base of her neck. Jane relished the feel of Maura's tongue anywhere on her body.

Maura let her hands start exploring across Jane's lower body. Gently making light passes across her abdomen the sensation was causing goose bumps on Jane's skin. As Maura continued to kiss and suck on Jane's neck she allowed her hand to start massaging Jane's inner thigh. Maura's mouth slowly started to work down to Jane's breasts and as she let her teeth grab one of the hardened nipples she also let two fingers quickly and unexpectedly enter into Jane. The simultaneous sensations caused Jane to gasp loudly and arch her hips into Maura's hand.

Maura wasn't going for an absolute quick release but she wasn't the tease Jane had been either. Letting her lips and tongue stay occupied with Jane's breasts Maura started working a slow, easy pace of thrusts with her hand trying to time the in and out motion perfectly with the inclusion of her thumb encircling Jane's clit. Three circular motions were all it took for Maura to feel Jane's body suddenly clinch and release for her first orgasm of the night.

"Oh…God Mauuuu!" was about all Jane could manage as Maura continued the gentle thrusts as Jane rode out the wave of pleasure sweeping through her. And like Jane, Maura refused to allow for sufficient recovery and still keeping her hand active she added a third finger and increased the tempo of the thrusting motion determined to take Jane right back up and over as skillfully as Jane had led her.

"Ohhh…I….ohhhhhh" panted Jane as number two swept completely through her. Maura knew she was going to have to let Jane at least recover enough to be able to breathe so she retracted a finger and her thumb and returned to two fingers still inside Jane not wanting to vacate the source of such pleasure completely. So she stopped the thrusting of her hand and more held it in place as she let herself work she lips down Jane's abs. By this time Jane was glistening with sweat and Maura lingered on the salty taste of Jane.

Feeling Jane recover enough that oxygen was not being deprived Maura went in for a trifecta of her own. Finally removing her hand from Jane it was quickly replaced with Maura's skilled tongue. She started to lick up and down and long, slow laps at Jane's center. Jane's body quickly started to shiver with a buildup of anticipation and her third release was not too far behind. Maura worked her tongue into a rhythm of interspaced slow and quick licks and flicks of her tongue. Jane held out as long as she could but that wasn't too long at all and soon she found herself giving in to the most intense release and orgasm she had to that point.

And like Maura before her, once Jane's body finished the wave she too was spent and momentarily unable to form a coherent thought. Both ladies allowed themselves to remain entangled around each other on the couch until Jane could attempt to form words that would resemble some form of English. Maura had done her job well. Recovery for Jane took a while. But both wouldn't have had it any other way.

Somewhere in the next hour they had managed to move themselves from the living room couch to the shower. It was refreshing to feel the water rush over them and each took yet another turn bringing the other to a complete release. They stayed in the shower together until they had run through their supply of hot water. After managing to help towel each other off they moved the rest of their night together into the bedroom.

Conversation was kept at a minimum. Neither looking to spoil the moment. Both working to make the night as perfect of a night as possible. Both attempting to completely exhaust the other. Both attempting to convey all the love each felt through each kiss, touch, and climax. In the end, it became a perfect night for them finally ending with both collapsing from pure exhaustion into each other's arms where they would stay tightly entangled until the sun broke across the Eastern sky.

Thursday had finally arrived with all it was meant to finally bring upon them.

**A/N #2 The start of the reveal of "the plan", "the mole/Big Fish" and the execution of said plan occurs in the next chapter. It starts in Chap 23 and will all be resolved by the end of Chap 24. So- this is your last chance to take a guess as what it is going to look like. Tomorrow you will have most of the answers you've been waiting for….but you know me and 'most' means most but not all. But all the crime drama will be revealed by the end of chapter 24. So Enjoy **


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

Jane had been surprised she had managed any sleep at all. But she had actually slept fairly well. But by dawn she was awake. Shortly thereafter she knew Maura was awake too. So much was running through her head it was a little disconcerting. But she didn't talk. She didn't really want to break the quiet so early in the morning. She just shifted in bed and made sure her hold on Maura was as tight as it could be for as long as it could be. Maura absentmindedly ran her fingers up and down Jane's arm. She didn't want to break the peaceful silence either.

When the time came, Jane quietly got out of bed and headed for the shower. She let the water wash over her and she attempted to let the hot water work out the tension that was etched in all her muscles. It didn't really help. So she gave up and finished her morning routine quickly. Angela was due over at 7 am. Jane would have to leave at that time as well. She had to make the drive out to Cedar Junction.

Maura joined Jane in the kitchen and they still didn't say much. The time for talking was done. Jane didn't want to rehash it and Maura didn't want to distract Jane's thoughts. Instead, they would let their eyes lock on each other for minutes at a time each trying to say mountains without uttering a word. At precisely 7 am there was Angela's knock on the door.

Maura let her in. "Good morning Angela," she greeted.

"Good morning. How are you feeling?"

Maura had all but forgotten about her concussion by that point. "I'm just fine Angela, thank you."

Jane rounded the corner into the living room and greeted her mother. "Hey Ma. Thanks for coming over again today. This should be the last day I need you to keep her company."

"It's my pleasure. We are actually making good progress on the wedding details," Angela offered up. She easily picked up on the tension in the room. There was clearly something going on but it didn't feel as if her girls were upset with each other. No, it felt like both were absolutely worried about something. Scared even. Something was going on. So, Angela being Angela, she fished for an answer. "How long are the cops going to be guarding the apartment?"

Maura looked at Jane not really knowing how to answer that question. So Jane took the lead.

"We think this will all be wrapped up later today. So hopefully by tonight the detail won't be necessary anymore."

Again, Maura needed to take notes on how to answer but not answer a question. Jane really was a pro at it.

"Ma, I have to go. I'll see you later," and she approached Angela and hugged her. This took Angela completely by surprise because Jane was never, ever a hugger before. But before she could start to even question that exchange Jane grabbed Maura by the hand and walked out into the hallway with her.

Once in the hallway, Jane hugged Maura. In a barely audible whisper she said just one thing. "Whatever happens know that I will always love you." She squeezed tightly one last time and walked away not allowing Maura to say anything in return.

Maura stood there and then said to an empty hallway, "I will always love you too." And she let one single tear streak down her face. She composed herself and went back into Jane's apartment to do the one thing she could today. She waited.

Jane got to the car without crying. She was proud of herself for that. Once in the car, she forced herself to transform into total Badass Cop mode. She needed that to stay focused on the task at hand. She pulled out into traffic and made her way towards what could easily turn into her own personal hell.

The timing for the execution of the arrest warrants had been worked out the night before. Hamilton was true to his word. He let Cavanaugh coordinate and lead the entire operation. They had managed to keep it all under wraps. Cavanaugh, Korsak and Frost met one last time that morning to make sure everything that they could do for Jane had been done. They parted with guarantees to stay in touch but all three were plagued with the thoughts of what Jane was going to have to do.

At exactly 8 am Jane parked her car at the Massachusetts Correctional Institution- Cedar Junction. She had always liked the Walpole name better but some bureaucrat somewhere decided MCI-Cedar Junction was a better name. She had only been out here one other time in her life. This was a Supermax prison so access to outsiders, even cops, was limited. The prison itself had the reputation for being one of the most violent prisons in America. What was about to happen this morning inside this prison was not going to help the Department of Corrections fix that reputation.

Jane walked to her designated entry point and waited. She tried to steel her nerves but the gravity of the situation was weighing on her and when she reached to hit the buzzer her hands were visibly shaking. She needed to center herself and soon. She was expected and her entry through the gates of Cedar Junction happened without incident.

Right at the moment Jane was passing through the elaborate security checkpoint of Cedar Junction, Hamilton and Cavanaugh, Korsak and his team and Frost and his team all took up positions to execute arrest warrants. Jane flashed her credentials and watched as a guard checked his list. He found her name on the list and instructed her to proceed to the next checkpoint.

Here, she had to relinquish her gun. It was taken, checked for ammunition and secured in a lockbox reserved for federal, state and local law enforcement. No one from the outside was allowed to enter the Supermax with a firearm. Jane then proceeded through the metal detectors to ensure she didn't have a second or third weapon in her possession. Passing through security Jane knew she was heading to the meeting room next. She glanced at her watch. It was 8:10 am.

At exactly 8:15 am Cavanaugh sent the 'GO' message to Korsak and Frost. And then, in three different locations within the city limits of Boston, three sets of Boston Police executed arrest warrants. Frost knocked on the front door of Patrol Officer Johnson. He answered and stood in complete shock when Frost announced he was under arrest. He didn't speak and he didn't flee.

Korsak entered the offices of Organized Crime Division and made his way straight to Connors' office. The door was closed but he walked right in. He calmly demanded Connors raise his hands and warned if he even tried to make a move for his gun the three cops with Korsak would not hesitate to shoot him. Too shocked to react Connors just put his hands up in the air. Korsak disarmed him and executed his arrest warrant. He swore he saw Connors' lower lip quiver but he wasn't sure.

Cavanaugh and Hamilton walked into the office of the Superintendent of Police. The second highest ranking officer in the Boston Police Department greeted his only boss and the Lieutenant with a smile. The smile didn't stay on his face for long.

"Mitch, you are under arrest for conspiracy, felony murder, racketeering and obstruction of justice," came from Hamilton. Cavanaugh moved around the desk of Mitchell Schultz and slapped the metal handcuffs onto his wrists. The intensity of the stare between Shultz and Hamilton put everyone on edge. If looks could kill Schultz wouldn't ever have made it out of that room alive.

All three arrests went off without a hitch. With confirmation of all three of the targets in custody, Cavanaugh radioed and ordered the CSRU teams to seize the electronic equipment in the offices of Connors and Schultz. Home search warrants for all three suspects were also simultaneously executed by a second wave of detectives and CSRU teams. Computers, laptops, cell phones, tablets, iPads all were confiscated and all three houses held a treasure-trove of evidence that would be used to build the State's case against the three corrupt cops.

Cavanaugh, Korsak and Frost had done their part. The rest was up to Jane. And the three of them gathered to wait for word.

Jane was led down a long hallway and was eventually pulled to a stop outside of a room. She waited while one of the prison guards signaled to open the door of the meeting room and the door was electronically opened. Jane entered the room and looked around. There was a long table in the middle of the room and two chairs. One on each side of the table. And nothing else. It was a rather depressing room to have to spend any time in.

She let the door close on her and when she was alone she quickly dropped to one knee and peered under the long table. She let out a long sigh of relief when she saw the weapon carefully and discreetly taped to the underside of the table. That had probably been her biggest concern. They had insisted that they could supply the weapon without incident but she knew she was going to have to see it to believe it. It was there and she felt immediately better about how things were progressing.

She now felt confident that they would deliver on the other key issues. She looked up and saw the mounted video security camera. She immediately noticed that the red light that usually illuminated when there was power going to the camera was not lit. Key issue number two was a guarantee that Jane would end up in a meeting room with non-functional camera equipment. Her encounter with Doyle was not supposed to be videotaped or audio recorded. This too seemed to be taken care of as promised. She had been further promised that the equipment was offline for more than a week to help later prove that she had no part in planning what was about to happen. If the cameras had only gone down the morning of the incident it had the potential to look bad for Jane.

Jane was too nervous to sit. She instead started pacing. She took some comfort in knowing that three people were now in custody and their houses should all be subjected to search warrants. A third of the overall plan was already accomplished if Cavanaugh held to the agreed upon timeline. Just two more hurdles to pass and all of this would be over.

She then heard noises in the hallway and she knew she was on. The moment had come. She moved over to the side of the table facing the door and sat down. She tried to keep her knee from bouncing up and down but she was failing at that miserably.

Finally, the door opened again and Doyle entered. It was the first time Jane had seen him since he had been released from the hospital following his recovery from the gunshot wound she inflicted upon him. He looked older and more tired than the last time she saw him. Prison life was not really agreeing with him. Funny but she didn't feel a bit sorry for him. He was wearing a prison issued jumpsuit and his legs and arms were shackled together making his movements more like shuffle steps than full strides. Prison walk they called it.

If he was surprised by any of what was going on he didn't show it. Jane momentarily wondered what it might take to shock a man like Patrick Doyle. She wondered if it was even possible to manage such a feat. And then he spoke.

"Detective Rizzoli." He stared at her with hollow, dead eyes. It unnerved her slightly. The guards turned to Jane looking for direction. She indicated with a nod that they could remove the shackles and after doing so the two guards pushed Doyle down into the chair opposite Jane. She then looked at the door and they exited it. It wasn't until she heard the magnetic lock reengage that she bothered to say a word.

"I'd say you are looking well but quite frankly you look terrible," Jane kept her eyes on him.

"Food here is terrible. Not fit for humans if you ask me." He continued his stare.

"Do you know why I'm here?"

"My daughter."

Jane cringed a little when he referred to Maura as 'his' anything. "Her life is in danger because of you."

"I know. I'm sorry about that. It should never have gotten out that she was my daughter."

"Well it's out. And now I have to deal with protecting her."

"I hear congratulations are in order. I heard you are getting married."

Jane shouldn't have been surprised that he was aware of their engagement but she was. She didn't know what to say.

After a minute Doyle spoke again. "I also heard you saved her from O'Rourke."

The man was in Supermax solitary lockdown and he already knew about what happened two days ago. Unbelievable! "So, you know. They almost got to her. I was almost too late."

"How did you find her? I hear that they can't figure that part out."

"That's not your concern. What your concern should be is fixing the mess you have now left behind for her. She doesn't deserve any of this and you know it."

"I know. And I'm trying to do what I can."

"Are you really? If you had any influence at all anymore she wouldn't be a target right now."

"I still have enough influence to protect her," he said with a stubborn tone to his voice.

"But you are in here. You can't protect her anymore. Your power is gone and loyalties are shifting. You know I'm right."

Doyle blinked for the first time that he had sat down. Admitting that he didn't have the power and influence he once had was a severe blow to his ego. He was becoming irrelevant in the Mob scene and in another few years he would fade away altogether.

"I still have friends in high places," he tried.

"Save it! Your 'friends' can't protect her. We just arrested Schultz, and Connors, and Johnson. You don't have the friends you thought you did anymore."

Doyle blanched. Had she just really said they arrested Schultz? The number two in all of BPD had fallen from grace. Jane got the answer to whether anything would ever shock him. That answer was 'Yes'.

"That's right. Schultz went down this morning. He's toast. I've seen all the files. ALL the files," and she stared right back at him gaining confidence once she knew he was somewhat flustered. "And that means I know about Maguire and Michael O'Rourke. They are pushing you out. I know it all."

Frost had unencrypted the email address to discover that Peter Maguire and Michael O'Rourke were secretly planning to consolidate families, push Doyle, Flannigan, O'Donnell and Denegal all out and take everything over. O'Rourke, in conjunction with Maguire, ordered the Murphy and Riley hits in an attempt to start a turf war between O'Donnell and Denegal. They wanted to let the lesser families hurt each other first and then they had planned on making one bold move to consolidate territory. Michael O'Rourke just got greedy when he tried to take out Maura as quickly as he had tried to avenge his father's death. The original plan was to save her for last. But O'Rourke got impatient.

"I don't know anything about that," he tried but he turned pale even trying to deny it.

"Save it. I didn't come out here to listen to your bullshit. I'm here for one reason and one reason only. Maura."

"I can't help with that."

"Yes, you can actually. You may be the only fix to that."

"I can't help you with that," he repeated with a harsher tone.

"It may no longer be your choice. Do you love her?"

"She's my daughter."

"Do you love her?"

"Yes."

"Then do the right thing here. She doesn't deserve any of this. You have the power to end this for her. So end it."

They stared at each other again. This time not speaking for the longest time.

"You know, she once told me you have pictures of her throughout her life. That you went to her graduations and dance recitals and stuff. I thought it was a little creepy myself but why did you do that?"

He blinked. He didn't expect that question. "I wanted to keep my eye on her. Wanted to watch her grow up. I wanted to be a part of her life."

"But being in any part of her life ties her to you and the Mob. You can't want that for her. You have to know what that is doing to her."

Doyle for once wanted Jane to understand, "She's my daughter."

"You were never her father. You were a sperm donor."

This infuriated Doyle. "She's my DAUGHTER!" he bellowed and slammed his fist down on top of the table. It made Jane jump a bit out of her chair.

"Then ACT like it!" she shouted back. "You claim to love her. You claim to care about her. You claim you gave her up to give her a chance at a life outside that which you CHOSE for yourself. If any of that is true, ANY of it at all, you have to fix this. She deserves to be free from all of this. To be free from you. All of this must end."

"You are right, this does have to end…" and before Jane could barely flinch Doyle was up on his feet, the table between them was overturned and the weapon secured under the table was in his hand. A half a second later he thrust the knife into Jane's side.

The pain from the knife coursed through Jane's body. The last things she heard were the magnetically locked door being thrown open, a gunshot and a voice hollering 'OFFICER DOWN!'. The last thing she thought about before everything went black was Maura.

As the guards all ran to secure the scene inside the room they were all greeted with a disturbing scene. Lying on the floor was a career cop and a career criminal the blood from each seamlessly pooling together in the middle of the room.


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

The waiting was killing everyone. Korsak and Frost were taking turns pacing back and forth in Cavanaugh's office. Cavanaugh sat stoically trying to act like he was reading a report. Every noise they heard the three instinctively went for their phones thinking that it would be the call. And they waited. Finally, Cavanaugh's phone rang. He answered it on the half ring.

"Cavanaugh." And he was quiet. Listening. And then he closed his eyes. Korsak and Frost both saw it. Both stood immediately. "Ok." And he hung up the phone. He looked at his two detectives. "There was a complication. She's being air-lifted to Mass General."

All three ran out of the station. Two headed to the hospital. One headed to find Maura.

The knock on the door told Maura more than she wanted to know before she even answered it. She opened it and Korsak didn't have to say anything more than, "She's being airlifted to Mass General."

Maura steadied herself for a second but composed herself quickly. She turned to Angela who was about to greet Vince until she saw the look that was both their faces.

"What happened to Jane?" She too knew something was wrong.

"Angela, she's being transported to Mass General," Maura tried to explain. "We need to get to the hospital."

"Oh my God! What happened?" and she looked at Vince with a mother's eyes demanding information.

"She's been stabbed. That's all I know right now. I came to get you two. We need to head out."

So the three of them headed out to Mass General. Vince and Maura Stared out the windows. Angela was stifling tears. All three were eerily quiet. All three were hoping she was going to be ok. They arrived at Mass General and found their way to where Cavanaugh and Frost were standing and pacing.

"Sean, how is she?" Angela was the first to get out the question.

"She's in surgery right now. That's all they will tell us. She was stabbed in the abdomen. They are worried about the blood loss and what organs may be been injured. They said someone will come out with an update as soon as they can."

Maura nodded. She was mentally going through the injuries an abdomen stab wound could inflict. She wouldn't let herself picture that it was Jane that was injured. She couldn't do that but she needed to let her mind get an understanding of what Jane was facing.

Cavanaugh pulled Maura aside. "Maura, I'm sorry. Doyle is dead. He was shot and killed by one of the prison guards after he attacked Jane."

Angela heard this and looked at Maura. "Doyle? Patrick Doyle? He did this to her?"

Cavanaugh answered in Maura's place. "Yes. Jane went out to interview him this morning. Before the guards were able to intervene he stabbed her with a knife. He is dead." He offered up that last point to try and make Angela feel better that the responsible party had paid a price.

Angela turned back to Maura. "Did you know she was going to see him this morning?"

Maura only nodded.

"Is this what all the police detail and guards was all about?"

Maura nodded again.

Cavanaugh took Angela by the hand, "Come on, let's go check in at the nurse's station. Maybe if they know family is here we can get an update on Jane's condition." Angela relented and walked off with Cavanaugh.

Maura, Barry and Vince just all stood there. None of them said anything. They were all stuck having to wait yet again on this day.

At the same moment Jane was being rushed into emergency surgery at Mass General, two teams of federal agents also executed simultaneous arrest warrants. Teams of agents knocked down the doors of both houses for Peter Maguire and Michael O'Rourke. The agent in charge of the operation had the pleasure of slapping the metal cuffs onto the wrists of Michael O'Rourke simply informing him of the situation.

"Michael O'Rourke, you are under arrest for violations of the federal RICO statute, felony murder, attempted murder, conspiracy to commit murder and attempted kidnapping."

O'Rourke's only answer was for his wife to call his lawyer.

With Maguire and O'Rourke in federal custody, the second part of Jane's overall plan had also been completed as planned. The only issue, the only problem on the day was the third part of the plan. The part that had involved Jane had not gone as it had been planned.

An hour later there was still no update on Jane or her status. All of them paced in turn. When one was done another would get up and start pacing. The waiting was agony. Maura was worried about the duration of the surgery. The longer they were in there the more damage there must be to try and repair. As the seconds ticked by her panic heightened more and more.

Suddenly someone tapped onto Maura's shoulder. She turned around and was somewhat surprised to see who it was. So was everyone else.

"Maura, may I have a minute alone?" was the request.

Maura nodded and both walked down the hall for some privacy. Once around the corner and out of eye and ear shot he went to say something only to meet with the hardest slap across his face that he had ever felt in his life. And sadly he had been slapped by several women before that morning.

"You Son of a Bitch!" she almost yelled.

"Maura…"

"Don't 'Maura' me! You Son of a Bitch! How did this get screwed up?"

"There were a few mistakes but…" he flinched when it looked like Maura was going to slap him again.

"Damn it Gabe! She trusted you! She's in there in surgery fighting for her life because your men screwed this up! The men you promised were the best at this. The men you swore to her you trusted. The men you promised both of us would ensure that all of this went the right way. What the hell happened?"

Gabriel Dean knew Maura was going to be mad. Hell, he was mad. There had been two crucial mistakes about how everything went down that morning. He would get to the bottom of that but he had to deal with a very rightfully angry Maura Isles at the moment.

"The medical team that was supposed to be on standby at the scene was delayed in traffic." It was a horrible answer to have to give but their team had gotten trapped on I-95 due to an accident. "There was a delay in getting medical care to her as quickly as we promised she would get. By the time the delay was reported there was no way to stop Jane's meeting with Doyle."

"What about the knife? I saw the blade Gabe! That's not what we agreed would be used! That blade was six inches long! What the hell was your team thinking? Do you know the damage a six inch blade can do to an abdomen? What organs it can damage? We agreed to a three inch blade. THREE!" She was now having a hard time keeping the tears at bay.

"That….Maura I'm sorry. I don't know how that knife got chosen as the weapon to be planted. I'm going to figure that out but I don't have an answer for you on that right now. I approved the three inch shank. I don't know what happened there." And he was at a loss. The blade he had visually inspected himself was a three inch shank. It should have been enough to hurt Jane convincingly but not enough to do any serious internal damage. How the shank was replaced with a six inch knife would be something he investigated until he found the answer.

"If she doesn't survive this. If she's not perfectly fine by the time this is all said and done. It's your ass on the line." The tone she said those words made Dean shutter.

"Maura, she knew the risks involved with this. She knew nothing was a guarantee. Hell, this was her damn idea in the first place."

"Don't you dare! Don't you dare push this off on her! You jumped all over this as soon as she told you want she had in mind. You were the one that convinced her that it would be a controlled and secure situation. 'Guarantee' was what you said. You got so wrapped up on making a collar, on making your career look better you left her there unprotected. She at least was doing this for me. You, you are doing this for the glory. I assume you made the apprehension of Maguire and O'Rourke."

"Yes, both are in custody. And I heard your guys got their targets as well."

"See, that's all you really care about. Arrests and headlines! Do you even care about her at all? Does it even bother you that she is hurt? Did you ever really care about her? Because all I'm getting here is that you got to make your arrest. You made your case. What about Jane?"

"Maura, yes I care about her. I did then and I still do now. But there is nothing I can do for her right in this moment except to make sure that all of this doesn't turn out to be for nothing. You are right. She did do this for you. She was willing to let herself get injured to try to protect you. And she did it because she loves you. I get that you are worried and mad. I do. So am I but I have to make sure the rest of this works like it should. I promised her that no matter what I would see this through and make sure it all worked. That you are now safe. I have to make sure of that. I owe her that."

Maura stepped back and tried to calm down. Yelling at Dean wasn't going to help Jane at all. "Where do we stand with all of this?"

"Your team made all their arrests and seized the electronics and computers needed. My team made their arrests and also seized computers and laptops. Based on Jane's evidence and the unencrypted address we have a great case against both O'Rourke and Maguire. The federal RICO charges are solid and murder, conspiracy and attempted murder are also a lock."

"And Doyle?"

Dean looked around to make sure no one was listening. "The prison thinks he's dead. The press thinks he's dead. The intel we are receiving says his family and the Families all think he is dead. They all believe he died attacking Jane in that room. He will recover from the GSW my guy placed into his shoulder. And he has agreed to the relocation in exchange for being a deep background source for us. We can't use his information in court because we need to keep him dead but he has agreed to give us insight into the families."

"I should have never, never let her talk me into this," Maura stated more angry with herself at agreeing to this.

"Look, I agreed with Jane when she came to me with this idea. It really was the only way to get you out of the line of fire. Doyle will recover from his wounds. Everyone believes he is dead and no one thinks Jane tried to kill him. That takes you both out of play here. You aren't useful to the Mob anymore. Doyle is 'dead' and you have no contact or ties to anyone or anything else in the Mob. You are not a source of leverage anymore. And Jane didn't shoot Doyle. He attacked her in that prison room. It was a guard that shot him to defend Jane. There is no blood on her hands. The Mob will decide that Doyle died doing something stupid and that he brought it on himself. No one from his family will try to retaliate against Jane for Doyle's 'death'. Despite the screw up with the knife, the plan worked Maura."

"Do you really think I care one bit about any of that right now? She's still in surgery Gabe! None of this means anything to me if she dies. None of it!"

"Maura, I know you love her. And I know you are scared. You have to hold on and just pray that she recovers. She is tough. Probably the toughest person I have ever known in my life. She's a fighter and I believe that she will fight through this."

"What happens next?"

"Doyle has already been moved out of Boston and that's the last you will hear about him or his status. There will be press all over this. They will want to speak to you and to Jane. I highly recommend you decline all interviews. We will manage the funeral arrangements for Doyle. We will proceed with cremation to avoid the casket concern. And then that should do it. The electronic evidence Jane uncovered for both the state issues with the BPD cops and the federal RICO issues for Maguire and O'Rourke will handle the court issues with all parties involved."

Maura nodded. She had no intention on speaking with the press. She knew Jane wouldn't either. But Jane needed to come out of surgery first. That was really all Maura cared about and she was done with Dean. She needed to get back to the waiting room. Back to Angela. Back to her family.

"You need to leave. I'll tell Angela you were just checking up on Jane."

Dean nodded. "Let me know how she is. Maura, I really do care. And, I'm happy that the two of you are together. You both deserve to be happy."

Maura didn't acknowledge what he said. She just wanted to find out how Jane was doing. She left Dean standing in the hallway and returned to the waiting room hoping that there was some word about Jane by the time she returned.

But, no word had come. She knew the minute she returned to the waiting room that no one knew anything new. She walked over to Angela and sat down next to her. She was worried that Angela was going to be mad at her that Jane had been injured by her father and because of Maura.

Angela had watched Maura walk across the room and sit down next to her. She immediately reached out and took Maura's hand into hers. "Janie is strong Maura. She's a fighter. She'll be ok." Angela seemed to wholeheartedly believe this.

"I can't lose her," Maura choked back some tears.

"She won't leave you. She loves you too much," and Angela squeezed Maura's hand a little tighter. "I'm sorry."

Maura was suddenly confused. "What are you apologizing for?"

"Doyle. He was your father and he's dead. I'm sorry about that. Sorry for you. I didn't say that to you earlier. I should have said that sooner."

"Angela, he was not my father. Biologically yes. But he was never a father to me. Never. But thank you. However, I don't want you to waste any more thoughts on him. Focus on Jane. That's all that matters now."

Angela smiled and Maura leaned her head down onto Angela's shoulder. They would wait for word together. It would take another forty-five minutes to get their first update on Jane's status. By then Frankie and Tommy had joined the group in the waiting room.

Finally, the surgeon entered into the waiting room. He approached both Angela and Maura. "Detective Rizzoli is out of surgery and being move to recovery. There was significant blood loss but we have stopped the bleed and her pressure is stabilizing. There was laceration damage to her liver and gallbladder but I was able to visualize the wounds and repair the damage. We will watch her closely for the next few hours but I anticipate that she will make a full recovery."

There was a collective sigh of relief from seven people in that waiting room.

"We'll come got you," the doctor said to Maura, "when she is moved from post op to a room. You will be able to see her then."

Maura heard that but didn't really hear it. She was too focused on the words 'full recovery' and the smile that was now across both her face and the faces of the six other people that loved Jane who were in that room.


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

It would take another hour for Jane to be moved from post op to a private room. The doctors filled Maura in with all of the details surrounding Jane's surgery, her prognosis and what she could expect during the recovery. Angela was glad Maura was a doctor and understood all of the technical language the surgeon started using once he found out that Maura was a doctor too. She needed Maura to translate doctor lingo to simple English which Maura was more than happy to do for everyone.

"As long as Jane doesn't have any complications, she will make a full recovery. The damage to the liver was more involved than I would like but the surgeon seems confident that his repair will not cause any permanent issues. The gallbladder was barely nicked."

"What kind of complications are they, you, worried about?" asked Angela.

"Infection mostly. There is always a risk of an infection with any wound. Outside of that Jane should just need time to heal. She will be in some mild pain for a while. But Angela, her recovery should be similar to what she went through when she was shot two years ago. Although that time the bullet was a through and through so there was more tissue damage than there is now. But from a pain management and mobility standpoint, she is facing a road that sadly she has been down once before."

Angela nodded and leaned into the embrace of Frankie who had kept his arms around his mother's shoulder while Maura was going over the details for everyone. The nurse popped in and said that Jane could receive visitors but to limit the number and how long each stayed. Frankie looked at Angela, "Ma why don't you and Tommy go see her. I'll stay with Maura." He had some questions for Cavanaugh and Maura that he didn't want Angela to hear.

Angela agreed and she went with Tommy down the hall to Jane's room. Frankie turned to the rest of the group.

"What the hell you guys?"

No one responded immediately.

"Lieutenant, the word is out about Shultz, Connors and Johnson. Plus I'm hearing that the Feds moved on Maguire and O'Rourke. And Jane gets stabbed by Doyle the same day? What the hell did you have her working on?"

"Easy Detective," Cavanaugh said sternly. "You know BPD investigations are not always open for group discussion."

"Lieutenant…"

"Frankie, relax. Don't get mad at the Lieutenant. There's a lot going on right now. Why don't you just stay focused on Jane and her recovery and don't worry about the rest of this." This came from Korsak.

"Don't worry about the rest of this?" Frankie was a little agitated.

"Frankie, please. For Jane's sake, don't ask too many questions right now. There are details she does not want anyone to know about. That includes your mother. For everyone's safety, some of what happened today cannot be common knowledge." Cavanaugh looked Frankie dead in the eye when he said that.

Frankie was a smart guy. He was starting to get the idea. This was complicated and involved. He had just heard about Maura's kidnapping and Jane's rescue of her. And he was piecing together the Mob ties, Maura, Doyle, Jane and the arrests that had occurred that morning. Seeing that Agent Dean was in town and aware of the situation he was starting to piece together that Jane may have just been involved in something very, very big. He looked over at Maura.

"Frankie, Jane will tell you what she wants you to know when she is awake and recovering. Please wait until then. Let her tell you," and she placed her hand on his shoulder as she spoke to him.

"Well, are you alright at least? No one told me about the kidnapping attempt until this morning."

"I'm fine. Had a concussion but otherwise your sister was able to find me before anything else could happen."

"Maura, I'm sorry about…"

"Don't apologize about Doyle. He wasn't ever a part of my life," she didn't want to say anything else. Her inability to lie was being put to an incredible test. There were only a handful of people that knew Doyle was not dead but now in Federal custody and Frankie wasn't one of them. Nor would he ever be. She was going to get a lot of practice with the answer but don't answer method that Jane was so accustomed to. "Go see Jane. I'll be there shortly."

As Frankie walked off she turned to Cavanaugh. "You know how to play this to the press, right?"

"Yes. Jane and I talked about that and what I am allowed to discuss with Hamilton. Maura, I don't…"

"Sean, please. Do as she asked. She's earned the right to decide how this goes don't you think?"

Cavanaugh couldn't argue against that. "She's more than earned it. In my opinion she had earned the accolades that she should be receiving. All of this was because of her. All of it. I don't agree with how she wants to handle the fallout but it is what she wants. So I will handle it as she requested."

Maura nodded. She then turned to Korsak and Frost. "Thank you both. For everything you did for me. For Jane. For us."

"Maura, you both are family and we protect family," Korsak made it sound so simple.

"You should go see her. Tell her we both will be back later to check up on her," offered up Frost.

Maura watched as Cavanaugh, Korsak and Frost all took off and chatted as they walked down the hallway. She turned and made her way to Jane's room. She had wanted Tommy and Frankie to have some alone time with Jane. She knew once she made it into Jane's room she wasn't leaving until Jane was leaving. She had a feeling Angela would stay as well.

Maura quietly entered Jane's hospital room. She knew Jane was going to be ok after her extended conversation with the surgeon but the sight of her lying in a hospital bed with tubes and machines connected to her was a sight that Maura could go without ever having to see again. The emotions swirling through her were almost overwhelming. She had never in her life had someone love her so much that she would be willing to literally risk life to protect her.

Maura moved to the side of Jane's bed. Jane was asleep. The effects of the anesthesia she knew. Maura understood that Jane would sleep for most of the day and it was best for her recovery that she did rest and stay still. She grabbed the chart at the end of Jane's bed and reviewed the lab results and nurses notes wanting to make sure that the surgeon hadn't kept anything from her. Everything on her chart suggested that Jane would in fact make the expected recovery.

Angela had pulled up a chair next to Jane's bed and was just watching her sleep. Maura understood the inclination. She could watch that site all day too. Jane was paler than Maura wanted to see her but there had been a significant blood loss. Jane was receiving transfusions and Maura understood that Jane's body just needed time to recover but what her brain know and how her heart processed the scene seemed to work against each other in that moment. Maura replaced Jane's chart and moved towards Angela.

Angela looked up and tried to smile. Whispering, "She looks peaceful right now. Pale but peaceful."

"The blood loss is causing the pale color. The transfusions will help with that. Her color should return by tomorrow," Maura whispered back.

Angela was quiet for some time. And then she whispered to Maura never taking her eyes off her daughter, "Maura, I don't want details but I don't want lies. I just want one answer. And the complete truth."

Maura held her breath and found herself nodding her head even though Angela was not looking at her.

"Is it over?" Three little words that carried so much meaning.

"Yes Angela. It's over." And that was the truth.

Angela asked no further questions about what had occurred that morning. Instead, she reached out and took Maura's hand and held it for a long time. And they both watched Jane sleep.

Sometime during the night Jane stirred. Her head was fuzzy and her eyes had problems focusing on anything but she was waking up. Her mind registered the consistent beeping noise that she knew was from a heart monitor. As she slowly woke more and allowed her eyes to focus on the room they settled onto the sleeping woman in the chair next to her bed.

Jane took in Maura's position and appearance. She was sound asleep sitting in a chair. Her head was flopped back to the right with the only thing keeping her head upright was the back of the chair. Her left arm and hand were stretched out towards Jane. She let her eyes follow Maura's arm and hand until she settled onto her own hand which was intertwined with the fingers attached to Maura's hand.

Jane's first thought was how uncomfortable Maura had to be sleeping in the position that she was in. Her second thought was how reassuring it was to now be awake enough to feel Maura's hand in her own. The tactile sensation of any touch from Maura grounded Jane and always made her feel better. Maura was there and Maura was ok. Jane smiled as sleep retook her for the rest of the night.

Angela returned to the hospital first thing in the morning. Maura had sent her home the night before insisting that she get a good night's sleep. Angela had tried to argue with Maura but found it harder to debate with a determined doctor than what she was used to with Jane. Her future daughter-in-law was going to present a whole new challenge for Angela at some point. So she conceded and went home. She did get some sleep and was now returning with a fresh change of clothes for Maura knowing that she would at least want to try to get cleaned up some today.

As she quietly entered the room she, too, found a sleeping doctor in a chair with an outstretched arm linked to the hand of her daughter. It was a picture that completely melted Angela's heart. There was to be no doubt for the love the two girls had for each other. As the scene pushed a smile across her face she turned her attention to Jane only to find that she was awake and smiling back at her mother.

Before Angela could say a word Jane did. "Shhh! She's still asleep."

Angela put down the bag she brought for Maura and went to Jane's bed. She leaned down and kissed the top of Jane's head. "You're awake," she whispered.

"Yeah, I have been for a little while. This one," indicating to Maura, "has been like that since I woke up. She's going to be awfully sore when she finally wakes up."

"How do you feel?"

"The drugs are keeping me from feeling much of anything, Ma. But, I'm pretty sure I'm going to be ok."

"Jane Clementine Rizzoli, you have to stop doing this to me!"

Jane was almost impressed that her mother could manage to yell at her through a whisper but yell at her she did. Jane cringed. She knew she was in for it with Angela. "I'm sorry Ma." There wasn't much else Jane could really say.

"The doctors all say you will be ok. Once you are, we are having a talk young lady. I'm not sure how many more times I can handle this with you." She was half joking but also half serious. Jane being hurt was getting to be too much of a common occurrence over the last few years.

"Ma, I really am sorry. I don't mean to worry you. Or her." She looked back over at Maura. "How is she doing?"

"She is worried about you. She wouldn't leave this room for anything. Even after the doctors insisted that you were going to be fine. Have you spoken with her at all?"

"No. I woke up once in the middle of the night and she was sleeping just like she is now. I didn't have the heart to wake her."

Angela was quiet for a second. She wasn't sure how much of any of yesterday she should mention. "What do you remember about yesterday?"

Jane was quiet for a minute. "The last thing I remember was Doyle stabbing me and then I was here in this room."

"Jane, so you know, Doyle is dead. One of the guards shot him after he attacked you."

Jane just nodded. She assumed that the plan worked and Doyle was really alive but she couldn't let that be known by Angela. She didn't want to lie to her mother but it was absolutely necessary that she believe Doyle was in fact deceased. So she just nodded and hoped Angela wouldn't push too much considering Jane was still in a hospital bed.

"I don't think she has really processed it yet. I think this is going to be hard on her. She said he wasn't really in her life but I think this will hit her hard at some point."

"Ma, Maura will be ok. We will all help her get through this." The 'this' Jane meant had more to do with circus Jane knew the press would be for a while than with anything about Doyle specifically. And then, as if she knew the subject had switched to her, Maura stirred in the chair and started to wake up.

With some reluctance Maura straightened out in the chair and stretched releasing her hand from Jane's. The break in contact seemed to waken her more than the stretching. She groaned as she felt how stiff she had become and then let her eyes find those of Jane and she was immediately relieved to see Jane was wake.

"Morning," Jane offered with nothing but affection.

"How long have you been awake? How do you feel?" Maura was quickly waking fully now and leaned in towards Jane to get a really good look at her. Jane's color was much better than it had been yesterday. A quick glance of all the machines she was still connected to showed definite stabilization of blood pressure and her heart rate was in a good range.

"I'll tell you the same thing I told Ma. I don't really feel anything so that must mean the drugs are still doing wonders for me."

Maura nodded. "Take would be the entire point of pain medication." She suddenly realized that Angela was also in the room. "Good morning Angela. I hope you got some sleep."

"Some. I brought you fresh clothes. I figured you would want to get cleaned up."

"Thank you. I will need to freshen up at some point."

The three of them were quiet for a minute. Finally Jane looked at Angela, "Ma? Can you please try to track down some coffee for Maura?"

Angela understood that Jane, now that she was awake, wanted some time alone with Maura. So she nodded, "Sure. I could use a cup myself. The coffee on the 5th floor is always the freshest. And, again, I'm going to point out how sad it is that I know that." But she did hand out to find coffee leaving the two ladies alone.

The minute Angela had cleared the room Jane looked at Maura. "Come here."

In a second Maura was in Jane's arms. She had to be careful not to knock off any leads, tubes or cables but she needed to be wrapped up in Jane's arms. Jane shifted and moved enough not to cause discomfort but to make room on the bed for Maura. As carefully as she could, Maura snuggled into Jane. She decided at that moment that she never wanted to be out of the detective's arms.

"I love you so much," Maura offered and started to fight the tears.

Jane tightened her hold on Maura. "I love you too." She let the moment linger for a while before trying to say anything else. "Please tell me that everything happened like it was supposed to happen yesterday." Jane was anxious to make sure that the danger for Maura was handled.

Maura looked at Jane and answered. "Everything went as you planned except for what happened with you at the prison. That didn't quite go as planned. How much do you remember?"

Jane closed her eyes trying to remember details. "I remember Doyle with a knife and him stabbing me. Truthfully I remember thinking it hurt more than I thought it would. Then I know I heard one of the agents shoot him and the last thing I remember was that I was thinking about you. Then I woke up here."

Wanting to make sure she got Jane up to speed before Angela returned, Maura quickly filled in Jane about the issue with the medical staff and the size of the knife. She also recapped the arrests of Schultz, Maguire, O'Rourke, Connors and Johnson. She confirmed Doyle's status to Jane. She was just letting Jane know the Gabe had come by with see her and how Maura tried to get an answer about the knife when they heard Angela returning.

Jane kissed the top of Maura's head. "We'll talk again when we are alone." And she got that sentence out just as Angela reentered the room with coffee for Maura.

**A/N I will fill in some plot gaps I couldn't mention without tipping off the 'plan' and then yes- I will be writing the wedding. One more chapter on some loose ends then we will skip ahead to the wedding. Hope you all continue to enjoy.**


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

Jane had been home now for three weeks. Her recovery was going as well as could be expected. Maura had been right when she hinted that Jane's path was one she walked down once before. And this time the internal damage was not as severe as with the bullet wound. Maybe it was because Jane had done this once before that things seemed to go better. This time she knew what to expect.

While her physical recovery had gone as expected little else had over the last three weeks. Which, for Jane and Maura, was actually a welcomed relief. They both had been prepared for a media blitz in the wake of Doyle's death and Jane's injury. However, the arrests of Maguire and O'Rourke occupied most of the media attention. A move on the top two Irish mob bosses seemed to trump the prison death of someone who one paper termed a 'Has been'. And if the front pages of the papers and the lead stories on the news weren't new information or a new angle on the Irish mob boss arrests, the story was on the fall from grace of BPD's #2 man Mitchell Schultz. Schultz was crucified in the press and rightfully so.

As it turned out, the electronic evidence that Jane had found and unencrypted was more evidence than the federal or state prosecutors had ever been able to compile in a RICO or racketeering case. The convictions of all arrested parties seemed virtually guaranteed. As the evidence against Maguire and O'Rourke leaked out, which Jane had told Maura the evidence would leak out to the media, there seemed no doubt whatsoever that both men would be found guilty. The fact that Jane had found the mob's own emails and documents to use against them also seemed to keep Jane's involvement in the investigation off the radar as well. The media focused on the contact of the evidence and not its initial source.

Jane and Maura had to deal with interview requests but after the first few days they found their need to deny those requests becoming less and less frequent. Both ladies loved the unexpected silence. Neither wanted the attention. Neither was seeking to have their story play out in the public eye. Neither was seeking fame. The headlines were kind to the both of them. The few times an article was about one or both the references were always calling out Jane's bravery or Maura's integrity despite her biological father being an ex-mob boss. They both just wanted things to go back to normal and they both were finding that oddly easier than they had anticipated.

Jane was hoping to be allowed to return to at least desk work by next week. She hated paperwork and light duty but she hated sitting at home doing nothing even more. And she had found she wasn't being given the chance to 'do nothing'. She was going a little stir crazy and was actually looking forward to paperwork and riding her desk. She was looking for something other than the wedding to occupy her time. Maura had discovered that a Jane on medical leave was a Jane that was able to run errands and handle little projects for the wedding. Jane was excited about marrying Maura but she was never one to get happy about shopping or flowers or decorations or invitations which were what had occupied her days after she was able to be up and out of bed after the first week.

It was definitely fair to say that things were going well for Jane considering what had transpired just three weeks prior. She had almost managed to put the entire experience behind her. Almost anyway. But then things like unexpected knocks on her door happen. Apparently that Friday had become the day for unexpected visitors bearing unexpected information. It had happened to Jane twice on that day. The first visitor was Agent Dean. The second visitor was Cavanaugh.

Dean had two pieces of information to discuss with Jane. The first was about the mix up with the knife. "Jane, I'm sorry. I should have double checked the shank myself before it was given to the team. I had approved the three inch one but that was not the one delivered to the plant team. It turns out that one of the agents picked up the wrong package from my office and the plant team never knew the shank size. So, that mistake was mine. I should have personally delivered the right shank to the plant team and I didn't. I'm sorry you were as injured as you were."

Jane accepted his apology. There was no reason not to. What was done was done and there wasn't any way to go back and change it. She felt better than the mistake was an honest mistake and not any attempt to injure or target Jane on purpose. So she just wanted to move on which was what she told him after apologized.

It was the other piece of information that Dean brought that had been completely unexpected. He was delivering a message from Doyle. He stated he had been given the package by Doyle just after Doyle had come to after his shoulder surgery to repair the bullet damage. Doyle requested that Dean deliver the package to Jane which Dean agreed to do.

Jane accepted the package but refused to open it in front of Dean. She thanked him for his help with securing Maura's safety. He wished her well and congratulated her on finding Maura and the upcoming wedding. With nothing else to discuss, Dean said his goodbye and left Jane with the package from Doyle.

Jane examined the package. It was a large envelope but one that was not thick. On the front of the envelope there was simply 'Detective Rizzoli' written. On the back there was a scribbled message to Jane written by Doyle.

_Detective- I wanted to apologize for going too far with the knife. I was going to try to just graze you with it but I lost my control when you called me a sperm donor. I shouldn't have forced the knife into you as hard as I did. What's done is done. My daughter deserves to be happy and you help her with that. Take care of her. She deserved better than me as a father. I hope she finds the family she has always wanted with you._

_-P_

Jane stared at the message. Was Patrick Doyle really apologizing to her? It oddly seemed sincere. It didn't change the fact that he was harsher with the knife that he should have been. But she felt marginally better that he at least made an acknowledgement of his overzealous use of the knife. As she read the message she absentmindedly rubbed the still slightly tender scar on her abdomen.

She opened the envelope and inside found a sealed envelope with Maura's name written on it and a folded note for Jane. She set aside the envelope for Maura and looked at the one addressed to her.

_Detective- If you are reading this that means I have agreed to the offer made to me by the feds. I must tell you that this was not an easy decision for me to make. You are asking me to go against a code I have lived my life by. In all my life I have never been a rat and you are asking me to break the code of silence. Maura is the only person I would ever consider turning informant for and if you are reading this it appears that I have done just that. You may be completely correct in your assumption that Maura will never be completely safe until the connection between her and I is forever severed. My death may be the only way for that severing to have its desired effect._

_I was more than a little surprised when I learned that you were dating my daughter. I didn't see that one coming. But it is clear that you love her. You are willing to risk your life to try and save her. You are willing to do more for her than I ever have done. I believe that you would actually die for her. If she has agreed to marry you I will trust that she feels the same for you. I loved her mother enough to let her go. I loved Maura enough to let her go as well. My hope for Maura was that she find someone who loved her enough to stay as too much has been taken from her in her life. I believe she has found that someone in you. Take care of my daughter she has earned the right to a happy life._

_-P_

Jane did not know how to react Doyle's message. She did not have any sympathy for Doyle and could care less that he felt he owed some loyalty to a network of criminals he had surrounded himself with for years. She didn't even really consider Doyle a father to Maura so getting his blessing to marry Maura wasn't something she had ever really considered. She almost felt indifferent to the entire situation. Except she had concerns about what the envelope contained for Maura. She didn't want to see Maura hurt by Doyle but she knew she would have no choice but to give the envelope to Maura when she came home.

As Jane was pondering the notes from Doyle there was another knock on the door. This time it had been Cavanaugh. Cavanaugh had checked in with Jane on a frequent basis but this was the first time he had come to Maura's to see her. She had invited him in without delay.

"I hear you are coming back Monday to desk duty," he started out the conversation.

"Yes Sir. I can't get the doctor to sign off on full duty yet so riding the desk is my only option for the moment."

"Jane, there is something I have been asked to discuss with you," he said not really having the patience to beat around the bush.

"Alright, what's going on?"

"Well, you've heard that I am being promoted to Captain."

"Yes Sir and congratulations. You have definitely earned it." Jane was sincerely happy for Cavanaugh.

"Thank you. I have mixed feelings about it."

"Really? That surprises me," Jane was curious now. Cavanaugh was a career cop and it was only a matter of time that he was going to get promoted up the ranks.

"Jane, I still have issues with your insistence that I take the credit for the arrests. I'm getting that promotion because of the Schultz case and that was all you."

"Sean, you are getting a promotion because you are an excellent cop, your detectives love and respect you and you have served the Boston community with integrity and dedication. You have earned that promotion. You had earned it before Schultz ever happened. At the most I think the case just sped up the process. But you were already there."

Cavanaugh was touched by Jane's words. He had been absolutely against the notion of taking credit for the investigations and the arrests but it had been Jane's one demand of him before she filled in all the blanks about Schultz, Doyle and her plan to protect Maura. There was not a moment in the last three weeks that he didn't regret making that agreement.

"_Sean, I have what is needed to bring in three crooked cops. I have it all. I even have the mole."_

"_Frost hinted. He wouldn't give up what you had or how you managed to get it but he is absolutely in awe of you so you must have done something really involved."_

"_I did what was needed to be done. However, I can't promise you that some of what I have done is completely on the legal side. But I needed to get the information."_

"_Should I even ask what you did?"_

_Jane thought for a second and then told him about the thumb drives her placed on several computers but she still would not tell him which ones._

"_Damn Jane, I seriously underestimated you. I think we all seriously underestimated you." The look he gave her was one of pride not anger._

"_It all comes down to motivation, Sir. Consider me highly motivated at the moment."_

"_You think you have enough information to secure Maura's safety?"_

"_Yes Sir. I have an idea. You aren't going to like it but it's the only thing I can think of that will get Maura out of all of this and not just now but permanently."_

"_Ok, so first things first. Jane, who is the mole?"_

"_Before I tell you anymore I need one guarantee from you."_

"_Which is?"_

"_Which is that you will never tell anyone that I'm the one that found the information. No one. Ever."_

"_I don't understand."_

"_I don't want anyone to know I was the one that secured this information. You can tell people you found it or it was a confidential source but you can never tell anyone it was me. My involvement ends at assisting you with your investigation. And that's my only involvement."_

"_Jane, you found a high ranking officer on the mob payroll and apparently two other police officers as well. Information like that, cases like this, this is how you advance your career. This is how you get promoted. If your information can secure the identification of a BPD mole that's a guaranteed jump to a Lieutenant ranking and your pick of divisions." He wasn't jealous. He was proud and hopeful that she would see the advantage of what she could get from handling the mole._

"_How about a promotion to Captain," she said._

"_Well, that may be a stretch but if you played your cards if might happen."_

"_No. I meant a promotion to Captain for you."_

_Cavanaugh looked completely confused. "What?"_

"_I'm serious. I'd rather that you take complete credit for the find and for the arrests that will follow. I don't want my name mentioned. Or Maura's for that matter. I'll give you everything I have, and it is enough for major arrests, but when you present it to IA and the District Attorney's office, you can never, ever use my name."_

"_But…"_

"_Never Sean. I don't want this kind of attention. I don't want a promotion. I'm a Homicide detective. For right now, that's all I want. That's who I am. You said it yourself. The department is too political for me. But it works for you. You are good at it. You deserve to be a Captain. This will make that happen."_

"_Jane…"_

"_I wouldn't have even looked for any of this without your warning. If you hadn't looped me in then I'm pretty sure Maura would be dead by now. But she's not. And she's not because of you. So, I will tell you everything that I know at this point and I will also explain what I'm planning on doing with that information. Maura's on board with the idea I have but I will need a lot of help to pull this off. And the only thing I request is that you never tie it back to me. Deal?"_

_Cavanaugh was quiet for a while but finally spoke. "Deal. I don't like it but I understand what you are saying and I hear you._

When Jane explained the plan to Cavanaugh including that she was planning on being injured by Doyle Cavanaugh was shocked. Jane was willing to let herself get hurt and quite possibly killed, considering she was going to ask a Mob enforcer to hurt her on purpose, in order to protect the woman she loved. And she almost did get seriously wounded. But she never hesitated. She decided what needed to get done to save Maura and she went right after it. And pulled it off.

But he still felt terrible for taking credit for the information. When he was pressed by Hamilton he wouldn't budge off the confidential informant. He wouldn't utter Jane or Maura's name. He told Hamilton he was using the three detectives he trusted the most, Jane, Korsak and Frost, to help him investigate the information he had obtained and that was the extent of their involvement with the case. When the arrests were secured and BPD public relations managers wanted to put a public face of the person that uncovered that Schultz was the mole, Hamilton gave the credit to Cavanaugh. The Captain's promotion was a lock the first time Cavanaugh stepped up to the microphones at the press conference.

"Jane, I want you to reconsider your stance on a promotion. I was asked to offer you a promotion to Lieutenant. And I'm personally requesting that you accept the promotion in rank and that you take my place in Homicide."

Jane couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Sir, I thought we had an understanding."

"I have kept my end of the deal. I haven't mentioned to anyone that the initial information for the Schultz cases came from what you managed to do. But Hamilton is not stupid. He knew the minute you were attacked by Doyle that you were involved in this more than just playing investigator for me. Your reputation with the men is stellar. Most every officer in our station is in awe of you. How you have handled yourself. What you went through several times with Hoyt. Your shooting yourself to save Frankie and Maura. Your finding Maura after she was kidnapped. Jeez Jane, you are a legend in the department. You are also a nature born leader and I think you would make one hell of a Lieutenant."

Jane wanted to give him an answer. But she stopped short of actually answering him. Over the last few weeks as she was helping with wedding plans and details, the reality of marrying Maura was becoming something very tangible for her. She was really getting married and more importantly she was really comfortable sharing her life with Maura. She had told things to Maura that she would never tell anyone else. She let Maura into places within herself she allowed no one to see. She allowed Maura to help when she wouldn't let anyone else. She was willing to trade her life for Maura's without giving it a second thought. They really were going to share their lives together. Because of that Jane no longer had the right to make the decision about her career and a promotion alone. She needed to talk to Maura before she could answer Cavanaugh.

"Sean, can I have the weekend to think about it?" She didn't need to tell him she wanted to talk to Maura.

"Yes. Just let me know Monday what you decide." And having asked the question, he took off to head back to the station.

Jane looked down at the envelope from Doyle and thought about Cavanaugh's conversation. Maura was going to have a lot of things to deal with when she got home tonight. And Jane didn't know how she was going to react to either piece of information.


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27

Maura walked into the house, "Jane I'm home." She grinned as she said it and wondered if she would ever get tired of calling that out. She had gotten a chance to shout that out with Jane being out on medical leave for the last three weeks.

At the sound of Maura's voice, Jo took off for the door and excitedly greeted her co-owner. She jumped up on Maura's leg and Maura caught her mid second jump. Holding and petting her as she walked into the kitchen, Maura was even happy that she had acquired a dog. She loved Bass but he was much more reserved with the affection. Jo, on the other hand, was a tongue licking fool if you let her be. It was a nice way to be greeted after a long day at work. A few more pats and Maura released Jo who ran off, probably to find Bass. Those two really did oddly seem to get along rather well.

"Hey," greeted Jane as she wandered into the kitchen to greet Maura. She walked up behind Maura, who was now flipping through the mail, and hugged her from behind. "How was your day?"

"Long. Boring. I missed you. I guess I didn't realize how often you come down to chat with me in a day until you aren't there to come down and chat with me. No dead people today so the day was rather boring. But you are back Monday, so that makes me happy." She placed the mail down and rubbed Jane's arms as they lingered across her waist.

"You need to call the caterer. She had questions about wines and pairings with the food and I was absolutely no help to her whatsoever. She found it cute but I think she wonders why you would marry someone who doesn't know the difference between a pinot noir and a merlot."

"Mostly because I love you and I will explain that to her when I call," she said grinning again. She wrinkled her nose before asking, "Did the movers call to confirm?"

This elicited a large grin from Jane. She wasn't above gloating. "Yes, everything is confirmed for tomorrow. Pack, load and unload should all go without a hitch tomorrow. I, of course, will supervise." Jane was going to gloat. She had finally won an argument with Maura. Jane was moving in with Maura this weekend and they would stay in Maura's house. The disagreement had latest almost six months but Jane had held out and won.

"Actively supervise I'm sure," she said. "And for the record I still think it was cheating that you used your 'but-I-got- stabbed- for-you' marker to win this argument." But she smiled as she said that.

Jane had done just that. She wasn't one to tout her injuries for sympathy or to win her way but she did this time. She didn't want to look for a new place. She liked Maura's and secretly believed Maura liked it too. So sensing a moment of weakness one night about a week after Jane was stabbed she resorted to claiming that if she was willing to take a knife to the gut for Maura, she should be able to pick where they live. Maura couldn't come up with an argument against that. So tomorrow Jane's stuff was being packed and moved into what would officially become the only place they both called 'Home'.

Jane had suggested that they offer her apartment to Angela but Maura wouldn't have it. She had gotten very used to having Angela in the guesthouse and refused to consider asking her to leave. She liked the fact that someone was living in the house and since Constance now permanently lived in Boston it changed the purpose of the building. Maura had originally purchased the property with the guesthouse in case Constance and Phillip would ever want to stay there. With Phillip not welcome and Constance now living in her own home in Boston, there was no reason for Angela to not just make it her permanent home. And Maura secretly believed Jane would miss her mother if she was relocated to Jane's old apartment. They would need to have a serious conversation about knocking before entering but Maura was confident Angela would respect the boundaries and some of their privacy. She didn't want Angela to leave so she stayed.

Jane's apartment would be taken over by Tommy. It was an upgrade over what he had currently and he had found a full time construction job that was going very well. He could afford the rent and Jane was happy to let him have the place fully furnished. So after the movers took care of Jane's possessions that were moving over to Maura's place they were going to move Tommy's things into Jane's place.

"I never claimed I'd play fair Dr. Isles," Jane teased and gently kissed Maura's exposed neck.

Maura leaned into Jane's hug. "How was the rest of your day?"

"Well it was a little interesting actually," Jane said and finally released her hug of Maura so Maura could turn and face Jane.

"Interesting?"

"Yeah. First, before I forget, the jeweler called and the rings are ready. We just need to pick them up." The wedding was in four weeks and all of the smaller details were starting to come in line. They both had inscriptions added to their wedding bands. Maura nodded her head but waited for Jane to tell her what interesting things had occurred. "And then I had two unexpected visitors today."

"Who?"

"Dean and Cavanaugh."

"What did they both want?"

"Well, Dean was checking up on me and he figured out what happened with the knife." She raised her hand to cut off Maura who wanted to interject just about that. "AND, he brought a package from Doyle for me. Well for you and for me." That got Maura to stop trying to speak for a moment.

"What kind of package?"

"An envelope that contained another envelope," which she produced for Maura. Maura took it but looked like she didn't even want it in her hands.

"Was this it?"

"Well, there were two notes from him for me. But that envelope was really what he wanted delivered to you."

"What did your notes say?" and she didn't even try to hide her curiosity.

"The first note I read he must have written after our encounter. Apparently it is not wise for me to provoke someone who is knowingly going to stab me before he actually stabs me. He tried to apologize for the zealous nature of his knife skills. I guess I shouldn't have called him a sperm donor."

Maura didn't even crack a smile. Jane looked and quickly figured out that it was too soon to be cracking jokes about the prison episode yet. So she just moved on. "And the other note was his approval of us as a couple and his request that I take care of you and love you."

Maura stayed quiet. She didn't know what to say or how to react to Doyle's note to Jane or the fact that she had one from him in her hands. Jane didn't push the conversation for a while knowing Maura was processing everything. She knew this was hard for Maura and was not going to push her. After about a minute of silence Maura took the envelope and went to tear it in half.

Jane's hands covering hers was what stopped her. "No." Jane uttered only one word and stared into Maura's eyes.

"Jane…"

"Maura, no. Don't destroy it without reading it. If you don't want to read it now, that's fine. We can put it away somewhere and when you are ready you can read it then. But don't destroy it without reading it. "

Maura looked back down at the envelope again. She released a sigh but didn't speak.

"Maur, I know who he is and what he has done in his life. But, we do owe him here a little. He agreed to 'die' for you. To protect you. He didn't have to do that. He's not a saint. I don't even like the man. But neither of us can ignore what he did for the both of us. You aren't ready yet. And that's fine. But one day you will want to know what he wrote so I can't let you destroy it." She held out her hand and wordlessly requested the envelope back.

Maura relented and handed it over to her. Jane took it and promised she would keep it in a safe place until Maura was ready to read its contents. Maura looked at Jane, "So, what did Cavanaugh want?"

"Well, his visit was even more interesting than Dean's visit."

That snapped Maura out of her still distracted stare. "What did he want?"

"He offered me a promotion," and Jane had such a poker face that Maura had no idea if Jane was happy or unhappy by the thought of a promotion.

"To Sergeant?" Maura asked as that was the next level technically available for Jane.

"No, to Lieutenant. And he wants me to take over Homicide for him when his Captain promotion goes through."

Maura was a little surprised. Lieutenant was skipping a few ranks so she immediately knew this was coming from Hamilton and not just Cavanaugh. She knew Jane would realize that as well. "What did you tell him?"

"Nothing yet. I asked for the weekend to think about it. I wouldn't decide something like this without discussing it with you."

Maura was then thrown by Jane's tone when she said that. Her tone was so full of sincerity it melted her heart. Jane was really starting to share things with Maura. Maura's vision of a marriage was always about partnership and sharing in the events of each other's lives. She knew things were changing for Jane. There would have been a time not so long ago that Jane would have just made her choice on her own. But now it appeared as if she wanted to discuss this and decide together. It almost made Maura cry but that good kind of cry.

"So we should talk about this."

"I think we should. Why don't you get comfortable. Dinner is almost ready and we can talk about this after dinner."

Maura nodded and approached Jane. She lightly kissed Jane and caressed her cheek with her right hand. She smiled and then headed upstairs to get more comfortable. Twenty minutes later she was back down with Jane and they had a relaxed dinner. Talk was casual, mostly about status updates on the wedding details. They were both confident that they would discuss the promotion offer so there was no tension throughout dinner at all.

Dinner complete, clean up complete, both ladies retired to the living room and set down on the couch. Jane sat back into the couch and Maura leaned back into Jane. It felt good to just sit together. And they never seemed to get sick of close physical contact with each other.

Maura started the conversation. "So, what do you want to do about the promotion?"

Jane was quiet for a few minutes. She found herself absentmindedly tracing patterns onto Maura's shoulder with her finger. "Honestly, I'm not sure. I thought I knew what I wanted but I'm not so sure anymore."

"What are you unsure of?"

"What or where I see my career going."

"What do you want?"

"That's what I'm not sure of. I mean I used to have this vision of what I wanted. What I wanted my career to look like. And up to this point, I have achieved what I wanted and I was where I wanted to be."

"But?"

"But my vision for my work life never took marriage into consideration. When I thought about what I wanted out of my career I never thought I'd be married. It's not just about me anymore. It's about us now."

Maura was silent for a minute. "Jane, take me out of this for a minute." She felt Jane start to protest. "I'm serious. Just for a minute. Take marriage and me out of the picture. Is becoming a Lieutenant something that you want?"

Jane didn't answer right away. That in and of itself told Maura a lot. So she interjected. "You don't really want it do you?"

Jane didn't say anything but she shook her head. Finally, she conceded. "Not right now, no. I'm only 36 years old. I didn't picture myself at a Lieutenant level at this age. Ranks don't mean much to me. It's always been more about the work than a rank or a title."

"A Lieutenant ranking takes you out of the field."

Jane slowly nodded her head.

"Coming out of the field is something that you are debating only because of me, right?" It wasn't an accusation but an inquiry.

Jane nodded her head again. "I've already put you through so much with injuries. And that was when we were just friends except for this last one. How can I look past a chance to come out of the field and have a safer job?"

"Do you want a safer job?" It sounded like a stupid question but Maura was convinced Jane knew what she meant when she asked it.

"I don't want you to be worried about me."

"Jane, do you remember the morning you finally told me about Ben?" Jane merely nodded. "Do you remember what you told me about the moment you knew you wanted to be a cop? That you knew you wanted to spend your life protecting the ones that couldn't protect themselves?" Again Jane just nodded. "Do you still feel that way?"

"Yes. Yes I do."

"Jane, you are a protector. It's in your nature to try to help others and protect people. It's one of the things about you that I love the most. I've been on the receiving end of your protective side more times than I could probably count. And you are trying to do it again. Right now. You are trying to convince yourself to take a job not because it's what you want but because it is what you think I want for you."

"I didn't say I didn't want it," she tried without a lot of earnest effort behind it.

Maura shifted on the couch to make sure she was looking directly into Jane's eyes. "I love you. Of course I want you safe. But I want you happy more. You have no idea what it means to me that you would even consider taking yourself out of the field for me. But that's not what I want. I want you to do what you are so good at. Better than anyone I've ever seen. I want you to be happy every morning when you know you have to go into work. I want you to continue to feel like you have been the Guardian you have strived to be your whole life.

"If you are not personally ready to come out of the field right now, then I don't want you to. If you can look me in the eye and tell me you have wanted nothing but to become the youngest Lieutenant in the history of the Boston Police then I will rejoice and be happy that you have been offered just that. But I know that you can't. You, Jane, are a Homicide detective. That's who I feel in love with. That's who I am marrying. If you stopped being that for me in time you will come to regret your choice and resent me for making you feel as if you had to make that choice. I won't let you do that.

"I want you to be careful when you do your job. I don't want you to stop doing your job. I want you to come home to me every night, safe and sound. I don't want you to hide in an office to avoid the unpleasant side of the work you do. I want you to be the best detective you can be which basically means I want you to just continue to do what you have been doing since the day I met you. I will always only want for you what makes you happy. And I think we both know what that is for you right now."

Jane leaned into Maura and kissed her. It was deep and passionate. And she let it last as long as she could before oxygen became an absolute need. Breaking away she rested her forehead against Maura as she tried to catch her breath. "I love you."

Maura, regaining her breathe merely answered, "I know."


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28

Maura pondered where all the time was going. The wedding was now just two weeks away and she wasn't exactly sure how that happened. Everything was basically taken care of but she had a fear that there was something big that she was just forgetting to do or decide or purchase or plan for. But she and her mother and Angela and Jane and even the wedding coordinator that she had contacted at the last minute in a panic about details all said the same thing. "You have everything taken care of." She knew it she just had a hard time believing it.

Jane didn't sweat any of the details. But at times she wondered how Maura's sanity level would be if this had been a bigger function than what it was going to be. If she was freaking out a little about a small wedding Jane hadn't wanted to be around her if it had been a large one. As it was, the wedding and reception guest list was exactly 50 people. And exactly 50 people had RSVP'd their confirmation to attending the festivities. From Jane's understanding of how the day would progress, basically everything was arranged.

Well, everything that Maura was aware of anyway. Jane still had some unfinished plans of her own to attend to before the day was upon her. Which was how she found herself with her mother on a Monday night where she would have been happier either being home or at the Robber with Korsak and Frost watching Monday Night Football.

"Janie, you asked me for help with this five weeks ago. I can't believe you haven't decided yet. The clock is ticking."

"I know, I know. But I've been a little busy Ma. So please, instead of lecturing me, help me."

Angela had to bit her lip not to laugh at how desperate Jane sounded when she asked for help. Angela had been completely surprised when Jane had asked for help with this surprise for Maura in the first place. But since she had asked, Angela just loved the fact that it had allowed her to spend extra time with Jane leading up to the wedding. And it made her even happier knowing that she was the only person who knew what Jane was trying to do. They had a secret. Well, actually they had two secrets.

Jane's original idea had morphed into two surprises for Maura instead of one. Angela was shocked by the first surprise. But the second, well, the second one just blew her away. She had absolutely no idea that her daughter was as romantic as she apparently was. Angela thought she knew her but after listening to Jane talk about each surprise in relation to what it would mean for Maura she wondered if she ever really knew her daughter at all. And that was a pleasant thing to know as she had completely underestimated her.

"Alright. I will help you. I've been trying to help for you for two weeks now and you aren't making it easy."

"Just promise me that we won't leave here until all the details are arranged. I can't keep disappearing at night without having Maura wonder what I'm up to. It has to get finalized tonight."

Angela nodded in agreement and the two Rizzoli women set about making two major decisions and finalizing the little details. Two hours later it was all arranged. And Jane finally seemed to have relaxed.

"Ma, thank you. I couldn't have done any of this without your help," and she embraced Angela and held the hug for longer than she normally allows.

Angela enjoyed the moment taking it all in and knowing it would be something she would remember for the rest of her life. That was what this surprise had given her. It was a surprise for Maura but for Angela it had been a gift. The gift of time with her daughter and the gift of being a part of something that was beautiful and special. "It was my pleasure. It's driving me crazy that I can't tell anyone about this but it will be so worth it to see Maura's reaction so I've behaved myself and haven't said a word."

"And I appreciate that. I know that has been hard for you," Jane said with a smile. Her mother was a natural gossip and it had to be killing her that she was allowed to share this yet.

"So, we have that," and she turned and pointed to where they had just left, "taken care of. How about the other?"

Jane let out a heavy sigh. "That has been harder than I thought. But it's coming along."

"Can I help in any way?"

"No, that one is all on me. But thanks."

They parted for the night and Jane made her way home. She felt better now that she had taken care of everything finally and didn't feel as stressed as she had before. She had an exact idea about the surprise for Maura and she wanted it to come off perfectly. She was getting closer to having that happen. With only two more weeks until the wedding she hadn't wanted it to get much closer before finalizing details.

And then suddenly it was the day before the wedding. Neither Jane nor Maura knew how that had happened. But everything was ready. Even the weather was cooperating. Maura had been convinced for the last two weeks that a major snow storm was going to interfere with the wedding. But, on the day before the ceremony, there was not a snowflake predicted in the forecast. No travel plans to be interrupted and no concerns about the drive out the wedding site.

"Maura?! We are going to be late if you don't hurry up," Jane called up from the bottom of the stairs. They were supposed to have been in the car and driving by now. If Maura didn't hurry up they were going to be late for their own rehearsal.

"I'm coming," she said as she finally walked down the stairs.

"My goodness! It is so worth us being late! You look absolutely gorgeous," and Jane was beaming as she took in the sight of her almost wife.

"Thank you. We aren't that late, are we?" She asked slightly distracted.

"Um, yes we are…and don't I get at least an acknowledgement of slightly dressing up here?"

That made Maura laugh. "Of course. You, my dear, are stunning as usual." Maura leaned in for a kiss but had to make sure it didn't get too involved. They were running very late.

"Ok," getting the hint that they couldn't get distracted, "let's get going. They are going to rehearse our wedding without us if we aren't careful."

Thanks to Jane's police driving skills, they weren't too late for the rehearsal. Jane had managed to do the usually hour long drive in about forty minutes thanks mostly to the lack of snow on the roads. But finally they pulled up to their destination.

Each time Maura pulled into the Lord Thompson Manor it took her breath away. The manor was set on a 40 acre estate in Connecticut. It had been one of Maura's favorite getaways over the years and Jane had been the first to suggest the location for the wedding and the reception. Maura was instantly happy with the choice. The lateness of the year had made it a little difficult getting the place but Constance had used her pull with one of the investors and had managed to have to property available for the exclusive use of the Rizzoli-Isles clan.

Maura was surprisingly greeted with a very mild early December and was happy that she may be able to wander the grounds before the wedding without worrying of frost bite. It appeared as if everything was going to go off without a hitch provided that both brides-to-be could get settled and down to the rehearsal.

Jane made sure that all the bags were divided correctly and each set taken to the appropriate room. She pouted slightly as she did this. She had wanted to spend the night with Maura but had lost that argument about two weeks ago. Apparently Maura decided she believed that it was 'bad luck' to see the bride before the ceremony. This all but ensured Jane's banishment to a separate room in the Manor. But Maura's promise to make up for lost time on their wedding night at least gave Jane something to look forward to. Once the bags and rooms were settled, Jane and Maura made their way to the Essex room where the ceremony was to take place. They were definitely the last ones to arrive.

Fending off Angela Jane announced as soon as they walked in together that their tardiness was all her fault. "Sorry, I didn't pack my stuff last night like Maura requested. It slowed us down this morning." She received a stern look from Angela but no one else seemed to think any harm was done. Maura just smiled a slightly shocked smile. It had been a sweet gesture.

"Maura, this place is amazing," Constance stated as Maura approached to greet her mother.

"I've always enjoyed it here," she said with a smile. "In the fall to walk the grounds with the leave color changes is breath-taking."

"I can't believe we have the whole place to ourselves," Tommy stated. He wasn't used to being involved or invited to such nice places but he was thinking he could get very used to it.

"You can thank Constance for that," Jane stated. "They usually close down for a couple of months right about now but she had enough pull to get the staff to stay through the weekend for us."

After a little more chit-chat, the wedding party got down to the actual rehearsal. Jane and Frankie would walk down the aisle together before the start of the ceremony. Tommy was escorting Angela. Frost was escorting Constance who would also stand up for Maura after being escorted down the aisle by Frost. And then Korsak was going to walk Maura down the aisle. The paired duos all practiced their walks and tried to time their steps just right so the walk would be comfortable.

The ceremony itself would be quick. Jane and Maura had agreed to exchange personal written vows and then exchange rings. Jane went to comment that it would take longer to get everyone in position than it would for them to actually get married but she decided not to upset her bride-to-be and kept that thought to herself. She'd whisper a remark similar to that later to Frankie and he would chuckle about it.

They went through the motions a handful of times and everyone felt like they could pull it off without major incident the next day. The wedding party all started to mix and mingle as a few questions were answered and they all just generally were hanging out. Dinner was going to be served in about an hour for the group so they had time to kill. Conversations were casual and it was clear that everyone in the wedding party was very comfortable spending time together.

The rehearsal dinner was also casual and the conversation flowed with ease. Dinner was fantastic and everyone commented that if the rehearsal dinner was this good the dinner tomorrow night would be equally enjoyable. Towards the end of night Jane stood up to speak to the group that had gathered.

"I'm not one for speeches but Maura and I wanted to thank all of you for being here and being a part of our day tomorrow. Both of us couldn't have gotten to this night or to tomorrow without the love and support from each of you over the last few years. We both consider everyone sitting at this table family and have felt that before trying to make it legal. We are blessed to have you all in our lives. So, eat and drink up tonight and tomorrow. What Maura and I want more than anything else is that everyone just has fun tomorrow and finds everything enjoyable."

Maura squeezed Jane's hand as she sat back down. The rest of the night passed with humor, stories and good times as everyone talked and shared and bonded as the makeshift family they all felt like they were becoming. Finally, it was time for everyone to head to bed. Jane didn't want to be apart from Maura even for the night. So she tried once more to talk her way into Maura's room.

"It's a stupid tradition. And I vote that it only applies to bride/grooms. Not bride/bride. I don't think those rules have been written yet. Can't I just sleep with you tonight?"

Maura was having a hard time saying no to Jane. She was absolutely adorable when she was practically begging. But her resolve was final. Separate rooms for tonight. End of conversation. "This from the woman that wouldn't let me have my wedding date as 12/12/12. Nope, you have your superstitions and I have mine. Deal with it." She snuck in one last kiss and then promptly closed her door leaving Jane in the hallway. She did it more to keep herself from caving into Jane's desires.

Jane sulked all the way back to her room. It was going to be a long night. As soon as she got to her room her phone vibrated.

_One night won't be the end of you- stop sulking_

She had to smile. That was exactly what she had been doing and thinking.

_You are SOOOOO worth the risk to the superstition rule_

That was the best attempt she could think of. One last try before she would just have to brave the night in an absurdly large bed alone. She got the answer almost immediately.

_We don't have that kind of luck. Tomorrow it will have to be_

Jane smiled but sighed at the same time. Maura was probably right.

_Good night. I'll be the one at the end of the aisle awaiting the most gorgeous woman on the planet_

She wanted for Maura's last response. Part of her was hoping one last shot at flattery may tip the scale on the whole sleeping alone concept.

_I'll be the one walking towards the best person I know_

Denied. Very sweetly denied. But denied nonetheless.

Tomorrow was almost here.


	29. Chapter 29

**A/N The Wedding- Rizzles style. Enjoy!**

Chapter 29

And then the morning came. It was finally the day of the wedding. Both Maura and Jane had managed to make it through the night without each other and both had slept well considering what was still ahead of them on the day. Neither was apprehensive about getting married. But both wanted the day to turn out as they both had hoped it would. Any nerves either lady felt was more about the details and the day than about finally being about to pledge themselves to each other.

Maura had insisted that they don't see each other before the ceremony. Part of her was regretting that decision. She missed waking up with Jane next to her and she had to fight the urge to send her a text to come join her. She knew Jane would be at her door in no time flat so she would have to maintain the resolve not to break the tradition. It was only one morning she would just have a figure out a way to manage. She had a private breakfast planned for her and Constance and then would spend the rest of the morning getting ready for the ceremony.

They would have the ceremony and then there would be the session with the photographer. After that there would be a break Maura was hoping to spend alone with Jane and then the reception would start. Maura, thinking about the day while lying in bed, knew she would not sleep anymore and decided to get up and take a shower. Her mother was due up to her room at 9 am.

Jane also had her morning and day planned out. She too was having a private breakfast with Angela. After that she would have to see to the last minute arrangements for Maura's double surprise. The Manor staff had not been allowed to set one of the surprises up early to help keep Maura in the dark. Jane had been afraid Maura would notice something during the rehearsal so she refused to allow any staging before this morning. And then she had to speak with Vince about a slight change to the way the ceremony would proceed. Again, Jane refused to alter anything yesterday to keep Maura from thinking anything was changing.

The men of the bridal party were being treated to a private breakfast of their own. Tommy, Frankie, Barry and Vince would all get to spend the morning in a relaxed setting with plenty of food to eat. Most of their wedding responsibilities wouldn't occur until the ceremony and then at random moments during the reception. They all were happy to part of the ceremony but were also happy not to have too many responsibilities.

Promptly at 8 am there were two knocks on two doors. The Manor staff had packages for both Maura and Jane. Each bearing a gift from the other. Each delivered at the same moment. They both knew they were getting each other a gift but neither really knew what to expect from the other.

Maura opened her gift to find a Chiarugi Classico Italian leather Doctor's bag. It was a beautiful black leather bag that made Maura smile the minute she saw it. It had engraved on the metal buckle of the bag: MDR-I. Jane's note was simple. _To my wife on the first day of our Happily Ever After._

Jane opened her gift to find a Movado Amorosa watch. It was an elegant silver design that Jane loved immediately. The back was engraved: JCR-I. Maura's note was also simple. _To the one who has the power to make time stop when we are together._

At 9 am both Constance and Angela headed up to their daughter's rooms. Both mothers had talked the night before about how difficult getting through the day without crying was going to be. Angela had no chance and Constance, while usually emotionally reserved, knew she wouldn't make it through breakfast without some tears. Both mothers were tremendously proud of their daughters and all they had accomplished in life. Both had nothing but affection for their soon to be daughters-in-law. Angela loved Maura like a daughter and had for years. Jane marrying her seemed to be just the icing on the cake. Constance had come to care for and admire Jane. She was in awe of the life and family Jane had provided for her daughter over the years and was just feeling blessed and lucky to finally be a real part of it all. She owed that to Jane and would never forget that.

About midway through breakfast Maura asked Constance if she had any last minute advice for her about married life.

"Darling, you don't need any advice from me. What you have found with Jane is a remarkable love. Trust in that love and seek shelter there as you need. Maybe the only thing I can caution is to just never take what you have for granted. It's special and rare and should be cherished. Remember that and the two of you will have a happy life." Neither lady made it through breakfast without shedding tears.

Over in the other bridal suite Angela and Jane were having a similar conversation.

"Janie, there isn't anything I think I can tell you that you don't already know. Believe it or not your father and I were very happy for many years. However, we let our love slip. We stopped making each other the most important thing in our lives. I had you three. Your father had his work. Somewhere along the way we lost our connection. So that would be my advice. Don't let your bond as lovers slip away. You will always be friends. On that I have no doubt. But don't let the passion fall from your everyday lives." Neither lady in this suite made it through breakfast without shedding tears either.

Maura had enough time after breakfast and before she needed to seriously start getting ready for the ceremony to take a walk around the grounds. She grabbed her coat and headed out. The estate was really beautiful and even though it was cold out it wasn't too bad and Maura relished the calm and quiet. She kept her hands in her coat pocket as she walked. Her right hand was holding onto the envelope Patrick had sent along through Agent Dean. Jane had been right not to let her destroy it before she read it. And that morning she decided she wanted to know what it said.

Stopping along a footpath she finally paused and opened the envelope. And she began to read.

_My darling daughter-_

_The hardest day of my life was the day I had to give you up to Constance. I can only assume that one day you will have a family of your own and maybe then you will understand what it was like for me to walk away from you. My family. It was only because I wanted a life better for you than I would have provided that I had the strength to walk away. Never think that I left you because I didn't love you. My love for you was what allowed me to give you up. I'm fatally flawed Maura. There was too much malice in my world and in my heart to believe that you would have been spared that as a child. I knew Constance and Phillip would give you the chance at a life you so deserved._

_I'm not sure what it will mean to you but know that not a day went by that I did not think about you and wonder about you. I followed your life as best I could and everything I ever saw you do or accomplish made me proud. Your very life makes me proud. You are an incredible person- a lot like your mother was. Never doubt that. Never let your fears about me and my life interfere with the fact that your heart was spared the malice that so choked mine. We are not the same Maura. And I thank God every day for that._

_What has turned out to be the easiest day for me was the day I agreed to Jane's plan. I was at first astonished that she would even suggest such a plan but then I realized that she was only trying to do what I had tried to do for so many years. Protect you and keep you safe. At that moment was I comforted only by the understanding that she loves you as much as I did when I gave you up. Knowing that lets me believe that you will never be alone in this world. It was because of Jane's love that I am able to do the one remaining thing I can for you. I can help give you the freedom to experience the rest of your life without fear of my legacy._

_Know that I always loved you and I always will. Be happy in this life you have created. Your happiness will forever honor your parents- Constance, Hope, Phillip and me. All four of us played a part in your life. What you now chose to do with it is up to you._

_Your loving father_

_Patrick_

Maura wiped a lone tear from her cheek and folded up the letter. She returned it to the envelope and turned around and walked back towards her future happy to be closer to putting her past into a better perspective.

Jane finished with the last minute preparations for one of the two surprises she had in store for Maura. This was the one she was most nervous about. She had been working on it for three months and still had no idea if in the moment she would be able to pull it off. She had gotten herself as ready as she could and now only time would tell. She finished up with the Manor staff and went to go find Vince. She had to run a few changes by him before the day got away from her. Then she, too, had to get ready.

Jane walked back up to her suite after covering everything with Vince. She was surprised to see Frankie was up there with Angela.

"Frankie? I figured you'd be hanging out with Tommy until the ceremony."

"Oh, I have been. I just wanted to make sure Ma wasn't falling apart," he said with a smile.

"I'm holding my own I'll have you know," shouted Angela from Jane's sitting room. Both Jane and Frankie smiled.

"Now little brother you have the rings, right?"

Frankie reached into his pocket and pulled out the velvet box that held both bands. "Right here. But I'm confused about something."

"What? It's a box with two rings. At some point you hand them to us. It's pretty simple."

"Normally yes, Smartass," he chuckled. "But you two didn't help a guy out. First of all, which one will be yours and which one will be Maura's? And second of all, what the hell do the inscriptions say? You guys couldn't have settled on English?"

Jane smiled. They had inscriptions added to their bands about two weeks ago. "Look genius, they both say the exact same thing. It's just mine is written in Italian _**'Solo quando mi trovo tutto'**_," she pulled out her ring and showed him. "And Maura's is written in Latin _**'Solum cum partier sum totum'**_," and she did the same thing with Maura's.

"Ok. I get the Italian for you but why Latin for Maura?"

"It's to honor her medical background. Most sciences we use today were originally written and taught in Latin."

"I think it's romantic and sweet!" shouted Angela from the sitting room again.

"It's something alright," Frankie tried to be sarcastic. "So, to us English speaking folk, what does it mean?"

"Both translate to mean _**'Only when together am I whole'**_," she said but smiled as she said it.

Frankie was quiet for a minute. "Oh. That's really nice." He leaned in and kissed Jane's cheek. "I'm very happy for you Sis." And with that he left to go find the boys leaving Jane and Angela alone to finish getting ready.

The next few hours just flew by. Wedding guests started to arrive and the minutes seemed to pass faster than either lady was ready. Constance seemed to be able to keep Maura relatively calm as she got ready. Maura had been happy for the company and since Constance had helped Maura select the dress she was glad Constance got to watch her evolve into what was now in front of her.

Maura's dress was Alabaster in color. The dress of was an A-line gown draped with soft shimmer satin coupled with embellished corded lace. The exposed boning added structure to the bodice while the detachable grosgrain ribbon belt with beaded embellishment highlighted Maura's natural waist. The dress had a scoop neckline finished with a corset closure and the scoop neckline was the perfect showcase for the diamond and emerald necklace that was once Jane's Grandmother's. It looked on Maura like it had been designed specifically with her in mind. Her honey blonde hair was in a modern, twisted low bun that further accentuated her neck, the necklace and her beauty. She looked absolutely breath-taking.

"Oh Maura!" Constance exclaimed when Maura was finally ready. "You are absolutely beautiful." And again both ladies struggled not to cry.

"Don't make me mess up my makeup," was Maura's only plea. Constance nodded trying to oblige to the request. It was just about time to start the service.

Over in Jane's suite, Angela was helping Jane with the last minute touches. She had been impressed with Jane's behavior. Normally Jane squirmed worse than a toddler when it came time for hair and makeup. But today, today she let her guard down at least long enough to become presentable. When she was finally ready there was a knock on the door. Angela let Frankie and Tommy into the room.

"Wow! Jane you look great!" Tommy said with sincerity.

"Thanks Little Brother. You clean up pretty good yourself." He did indeed look very handsome in his tuxedo. Frankie also looked very handsome. Angela stood back and took in the moment. Her three children together, happy and her oldest about to get married to her best friend and a wonderful woman. Angela would not have been able to find a better moment for them as a family than watching her kids casually joking around and truly enjoying each other in that suite. All of what made Angela blessed in this world was standing right in front of her. She wiped a tear from her eye. There were going to be plenty more of those shed before the night was over and she knew it.

"Are you ready? If you want to pull off your surprise for Maura we all need to get downstairs," Angela pointed out.

Jane let out a long, slow breath and nodded. "Let's go." And the entire Rizzoli clan headed down to the Essex room to wait for the ceremonies to begin.

In Maura's suite a few minutes later, a knock was heard. Maura hollered to come in and Vince stepped into the suite slowly in case Maura wasn't completely ready yet. But just one look at her told him she was more than ready. "Maura, you look amazing!" he said in a stunned toned. Not because he was surprised but because her beauty really was that overwhelming.

"Thank you Vince. You look very distinguished in that tux yourself. That's a very good look for you." She smiled. Her comfort level with Vince had grown over the years and she wouldn't have wanted anyone but him walking her down the aisle. She had come to cherish his friendship. It meant the world to her that he was involved in this day.

"Think it would play in the bullpen?" he asked with a smile.

"I think it's a tad bit overkill, Lieutenant," Maura said. When Jane turned down Cavanaugh's offer of the promotion she requested that the division be given to Korsak. One phone call from Cavanaugh to Hamilton got the promotion squared away and everyone in the department was thrilled that Vince would be the replacement Lieutenant.

"Maura, it's time to head down if you are ready." She nodded. She was most definitely ready. "Constance," Vince added turning to Maura's mother, "Barry is just outside waiting to escort you downstairs."

Constance nodded, grabbed several going to be needed tissues and headed out to find Frost.

"Dr. Isles? Might I have the honor of escorting you downstairs?" Korsak asked as he extended his arm for Maura to grab ahold of.

"The honor would be all mine Vince." And they both started towards the Essex room.

The original plan had been for Jane and Frankie to walk down the aisle, followed by Tommy and Angela, Frost and Constance and then Korsak was to escort Maura down last. That was what Maura had been expecting. But Jane had done a significant re-write to the plans and chosen not to share that with Maura. She actually had made two major changes to the ceremony and had managed to keep both a secret from everyone except Angela and Vince. But both were about to revealed. It was almost time to start.

Vince escorted Maura to a sitting room off to the side of main room being used for the service. 50 guests had RSVP'd and there didn't appear to be an empty seat in the place so it looked like they would receive full participation. Once Maura was securely into the sitting room, Vince did a double check with Jane to make sure everything was ready on her end. She indicated that she was ready and Vince quickly gathered Tommy, Frost, Frankie and Constance to explain what change was about to happen and that it was a surprise for Maura. Everyone was touched, a little shocked and happy to make the requested changes to what had been previously rehearsed.

So, all that being set, it was finally time to get started. The room was set up with chairs evenly divided and placed into two square patterns 25 chairs on each side. The aisle was draped with flowers and there were lit candles every four feet. The Manor staff had also done an excellent job with setting the mood with lights, candles and flowers. The whole scene was quite romantic.

Vince returned to the sitting room. "It's time," and said and again offered his arm to Maura.

He was slower walking from the sitting room to the entrance to the Essex room than Maura would have imagined. Or maybe it was that she was so excited that even running down the aisle didn't feel like it would get her to Jane fast enough. Either way, their pace was a deliberate one. Too deliberate. She slowly started to get the feel that something had changed in how the service was proceeding.

Sure enough, when she got to the entrance to the Essex room, the doors were shut where as she had expected them to be open.

"Vince?" she half whispered.

"Just enjoy Maura. There has been a small change in plans," and he was beaming with a smile.

Before she could open her mouth to question him she heard something. And everything stopped.

Within a few seconds she had been able to make out that she was hearing a wonderful rendition of Claude Debussy's _Clair de lune _being played. At first she didn't understand because she had agreed to soft chamber music. But what she was listening to wasn't chamber music and it wasn't recorded. It was a live piano performance. She thought 'maybe' for one second, but she dismissed the thought. Until the doors opened to the Essex room and she now both fully heard and fully saw the sight in front of her.

At the end of the aisle instead of Jane waiting for Maura to walk down, Jane instead sat behind a grand piano and she was playing for the guests. For Maura. And there was no way Maura was going to stop the tears. She had known that Jane had been a gifted pianist before Hoyt's first attack damaged her hands so badly that she couldn't, or wouldn't, play. Maura had always been curious. And curious no more would she be. Jane was giving a masterful performance. The sounds she was able to make come from the piano just blew Maura away. She was so totally enthralled with the music she wouldn't notice Jane's second surprise for a few more minutes.

Jane finished with _Clair de lune_ and proceeded right into Beethoven's _Piano Sonata #14 in C-sharp minor. _Maura immediately recognized the piece and listening to Jane work her magic over the piano melted Maura completely. She had heard renditions of the _Moonlight Sonata_ all her life but not one was as perfect or as beautiful as what she was listening to in that moment. She thought briefly about the fact that she hadn't started heading towards Jane yet but decided Vince knew what he was doing and would know when it was time to move. Until then, she just closed her eyes and listened to the music.

Once the piece was finished Maura's eyes snapped to when she heard the applause from the guests. She thought it was maybe now time for everything to get started but noticed Jane hadn't gotten up from the piano yet. Clearly there was more to come. But Korsak indicated it was time for Maura to get ready to walk and she was still a little confused, until she heard Jane's next selection. Johann Pachelbel's _Canon in D _started and Maura realized she was being played down the aisle to her fiancee by her fiancée. And there quietly was not a dry eye in the room, including the men.

How Maura managed the journey down the aisle she would never quite figure out. It was all a little surreal for her. But moving and beautiful. Again, the grace in which Jane played the piano was beyond brilliant. She truly was gifted. Vince got Maura down the aisle just as Jane was finishing. Again, the guests all broke out into a solid level of applause. Most were still crying. But everyone was amazed as almost no one knew Jane had the skill she had with a piano.

And if that hadn't been enough to tear at Maura's heart strings, she was about to encounter surprise number two. Jane slowly got up from the piano and walked around to join Maura. It wasn't until that moment had Maura finally taken in Jane's appearance. Surprise number two. That, too, was nothing like what she thought had been agreed upon. Instead of the suit they had finally decided upon, Jane was instead now standing in front of her in a wedding gown of her own.

Jane was in a stunning white wedding gown. It was a modern mermaid satin gown with a sweetheart neckline. It had hand beaded cap sleeves that trailed into an open beaded back bodice with corset complete with a chapel length train. The dress highlighted all of the feminine features Jane usually tried to disguise. Her hair was pulled into a half updo with a subtle but gorgeous crystal and floral hair accessory. The complete sight of Jane took Maura's breath away and Vince had to steady her to ensure she didn't fall over. Maura had never seen such a beautiful sight and doubted she ever would.

"Oh my God!" she breathed in a whisper. It was all she could say in that moment.

"I'll assume that means you were okay with a few last minute changes," Jane whispered back with pure affection. She accepted Maura's nod as her answer. Watching Maura's reaction was one of the best moments in Jane's life.

As a calm settled down in the room Maura, and quite frankly most of the people in the room, gained composure the officiant of the service took over. Jane and Maura had agreed to use of friend of Maura's who was a Reverend for a non-denominational church that supported gay marriage. She started the service thanking the friends and family members for both Jane and Maura for attending the service and coming together to celebrate the love Jane and Maura so clearly shared. She gave a brief prose about love and marriage and commitment and Jane found herself thinking that was being said was important but she was so totally drawn into the hazel eyes of Maura standing in front of her that she really didn't hear most of what the Reverend was saying. Jane too was entranced by the beauty in front of her.

It came time for Jane and Maura to speak to each other. Jane went first. She had to steady her voice before she could start.

"Maura Isles, to say that you are my everything just doesn't seem to do justice to the place you hold in my life, in my heart. You are my best friend when I never thought I'd find one. You are my confidant when I never thought I'd confide in anyone. You are my lover when I never thought I'd let real love into my heart. You are the light that somehow managed to illuminate the darkness right out of my soul. When I'm with you all the bad in my world fades away. You make me want to be the absolute best I can be. I pledge to cherish you and your love and to earn the right to claim it every day. I'm so honored that you are willing to spend your forever with me. I promise to make forever seem too short a celebration of our love."

And then it was Maura's turn.

"Jane Rizzoli, you have been responsible for some many firsts in my life. You were my first real, true friend. You were the first to accept me for who I was without question and without an attempt to change me. You were the first to give me a sense of belonging. Your family took me in simply because you chose to care about me. You were the first to care for me so unconditionally that you would risk your own life to save mine. You were the first to make me believe that love really could conquer the world. I owe you my family. I owe you my life. I'd offer you my heart but it's been yours since the day we met. So instead, I will only offer you a promise. I promise to love you all the days of my life and earn the love you so freely give me now during each one of those days."

On cue, Frankie stepped forward and handed a ring each to Maura and Jane. He had quadruple checked to make sure he gave each lady the correct ring. The officiant turned to Jane and instructed her to repeat after her as she placed Maura's wedding band on her finger.

"I, Jane, take you Maura to be my wife, my partner in this life and my one true love. I will cherish our friendship and love you today, tomorrow and forever. I will trust and respect you. I will laugh and cry with you. I will love you faithfully and unconditionally through the best and the worst of times. Whatever may come, I promise I will always be there for you. Solum cum partier sum totum."

In turn, Maura placed Jane's wedding band on her finger.

"I, Maura, take you Jane to be my wife, my partner in this life and my one true love. I will cherish our friendship and love you today, tomorrow and forever. I will trust and respect you. I will laugh and cry with you. I will love you faithfully and unconditionally through the best and the worst of times. Whatever may come, I promise I will always be there for you. Solo quando mi trovo tutto."

The Reverend took in the scene with a smile. "By the powers vested in me and recognized by the state of Massachusetts, I hereby pronounce you Jane Rizzoli and you Maura Isles as wives for life. You may kiss your wife."

Jane wasted no time. Within a second her lips pressed against those of her wife. The kiss was perfect. Their first as a married couple and the first at the start of a new chapter in their lives.


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter 30

The photography session lasted over two hours. Jane had decided that the worst thing about a wedding was definitely the photographs but she knew it was important to Maura so she smiled and posed as requested and she managed to keep the complaining to a minimum. At least for the first two hours anyway. And then she hit her breaking point. No one could really blame her though. She just wanted some time alone with her wife. Which is what she was attempting to point out to Maura.

"Really? Haven't we done this pose, like a hundred times?" Maybe a little whinier than she had planned.

"I'm know, I'm sorry. We are almost done. I promise. Just this one last location and I'll send the photographer to go harass the guests for awhile." Maura did have sympathy and Jane really had been very well behaved.

"Promise?" she had some hope now.

"Promise," and she leaned in for a kiss.

True to her word, the photographer finished with this location and Maura requested candid crowd shots and photos of guests. That sent the photographer on a happy mission and it finally gave the two ladies their first minutes alone as a married couple. They headed up to the bridal suite that they would share together for the night and Jane immediately flopped down on the bed exhausted. Maura smiled and laid down next to her.

They were both quiet for a while. Both simply enjoying the peace of the solitude they had finally managed. Maura reached down and interlaced her fingers with Jane's. Jane squeezed but winced at the same time.

"Your hands?" she asked with concern.

Jane nodded, "They've been cramping on and off since the end of the ceremony." She had a feeling they were cramping during the ceremony but her mind was so totally focused on Maura she didn't notice. But for the last few hours she was noticing. This hand cramping with the reason she stopped playing the piano altogether. The cramping was so totally worth it for the look on Maura's face as Jane had played though.

Maura took Jane's right hand into both of hers and started to massage the palms, fingers and wrists. Jane released a sigh of relief and Maura's skillful hands started to work their magic. "Jane, why didn't you say anything?" her voice still with concern.

"We had photos to take and people to greet. It's not too bad," she tried to downplay it but a spasm seized her hand and Maura felt it and doubled her efforts to work through the muscle spasm.

"Is this why you don't play anymore?"

Jane nodded, "As much as I'd like to continue it just ends up hurting too much." She closed her eyes and let Maura work over both her hands. That was helping.

"Jane, what you did…the music…the dress….I…" and she was at a loss for words. It was rare to render the good Doctor speechless but Jane had managed just that.

"I wanted to surprise you. I wanted to do something special for you."

"You certainly succeeded. I don't know which one I was moved by more. You look absolutely stunning in the gown but the music was enchanting. I'll remember today and those feelings for the rest of my life."

The cramps and spasms were finally abating and Maura just held one of Jane's hands in hers. A content smile crept across Jane's face.

"What?" asked Maura.

"We're married," said Jane through the smile.

Maura smiled too. "Yes, we are."

Jane rolled and turned her head so she could look into Maura's eyes. "Mrs. Rizzoli-Isles, have I told you just how beautiful you are?"

Maura sighed a contented sigh, "I do believe you have mentioned it once or twice." She rolled into Jane and they shared a passionate kiss which neither wanted to stop. But finally, they pulled back. Sadly, they did not have time to start the wedding night quite yet so they knew they couldn't get carried away. At least not yet anyway. But both knew that once they were finally alone tonight that the night had the potential to be magical.

"When do we have to be down at the reception?" Jane finally asked.

"Whenever we want. It's basically cocktails right now. Dinner is a few hours away still but since today is our day I think we can pretty much set our own timetable here."

"Until one of the Mothers comes looking for us. My money is on it being Ma," she grinned.

Maura giggled, "I don't take bets I know I can't win."

In the end, they both rested for about thirty minutes and then decided that they should head down to the reception. There timing was perfect as Angela looked as if she was about to send out the search party for them.

"There you two are! I was just about to head up to find you."

Both Maura and Jane smiled a knowing smile. "We were just resting a bit Ma, relax. We are here now so the party can get rolling."

For the next hour or so Jane and Maura mixed and mingled with the guests. It was a small group and that allowed for a more relaxed atmosphere and everyone was having a good time. The appetizers were fantastic and the open bar was definitely a big hit with the guest as well as the bridal party. Jane and Maura had agreed to drink at a minimum as they had plans for how the end of the night was to go and neither wanted to let an intoxication level spoil their wedding night.

Dinner was served and again the conversation and chatter was plentiful and filled the room with a pleasant, relaxed feel. The dinner was wonderful and everyone was thrilled that the evening had gone off perfectly to that point. Jane had watched her family during dinner and was so happy to see Angela, Frankie and Tommy having a good time and enjoying the night. She watched Constance, Vince and Barry too and they also were making the most of the evening. She smiled to herself with true appreciation for the extended family that she was blessed to have.

Soon it was time for the entertainment portion of the night to get started. Maura had wanted to hire a live band but Jane convinced her that it would be better given the makeup of the guest list and the variety of musical appreciation to have a good DJ that would offer a large variety of music. Maura agreed and they found one they both liked.

No one would start dancing until Jane and Maura had their first dance as a married couple. Maura had picked the first song and the DJ indicated that he was ready to go anytime that they were. Grabbing Jane's hand, Maura headed out onto the dance floor and nodded for the DJ that they were in fact ready.

"Ladies and Gentleman, for the first dance, Dr. and Mrs. Rizzoli-Isles," there was thunderous applause and the music started playing. Adele's _One and Only_ was what Maura had chosen. It wasn't the first time that they had danced together. They had gone out to a few clubs when they first started dating. But there was something about this dance. This first one as a married couple that seemed to make the moment matter just a little more.

Maybe it was the song. It had a beautiful sound to it but it was the lyrics that seemed to fit the couple absolutely perfectly. Jane had heard it a few times before Maura made the request that their first dance be to this song. When she asked she played it for Jane again and simply requested that Jane listen to the lyrics more than the melody of the song. And Jane was convinced by the start of the second refrain that Maura was making the right selection.

As they danced together the rest of the world seemed to fade away. It really was just the two of them in that moment. Together. Loved. Married. Happy. They had been through so much together and neither would have ever imagined when they first meet years ago that they were destined to be married. But here they were. Their friendship had evolved to love. Slowly, naturally. Their love had grown. Fervently, passionately. They had faced down the challenges and pitfalls life had thrown at them from both internal and external forces. And still, here they were.

Theirs was a story of complete opposites coming together and by allowing the other to be who she was without alteration had come to depend on the other. But it wasn't an enabling type of dependency. Quite the contrary actually. Each made the other stronger and more confident about who she was. Each made the other want more for the other than she wanted for herself. Each found the one person she would sacrifice it all for without giving it a second thought. Each was able to get the other to face her inner demons and believe in the other enough to move through them.

Jane facing her childhood demons that drove her inward and put up barriers meant to keep others out came through with a better ability to share pieces of herself with Maura. Maura facing the identity crisis her paternity thrust upon her only to have Jane still see her for who she always was. Both ladies were broken by life to some degree but seemed to be the perfect fix for the other. Together, they just made sense.

As the song came to a close they were both still wrapped up entirely into the existence of the other. Their day had been perfection. Their night would be magical. Their honeymoon would bring time together and the peace of mind they both had so rightly earned. Their lives together held the promise of true happiness.

**A/N What started out as a stab at a quick story somehow evolved into a trilogy. I hope you all enjoyed the journey from friends to lovers to wives. Thanks for all the support and feedback as I took two strong female characters each on a personal Odyssey. It has been a humbling experience. One I have most definitely enjoyed.**


End file.
